The Cycle Continues
by Legendary Super Candyce
Summary: FINISHED The Sequel to Remember Me. Quistis and Seifer's daughter tells her story from the day she became a SeeD to another sorceress threat.
1. Introductions

> > > **Chapter 1: Introductions**
>>> 
>>> _Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, Squaresoft or the original characters of the game. I do own the ones I created._   
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>>> 
>>> Hi! My name is Kaisa Edea Almasy. I am 5'9", 133 lbs., with green eyes and blonde hair. I am sixteen years old and a cadet at Balamb Garden, an elite training facility for SeeDs. SeeDs are hired mercenaries that are sent all around the globe to take care of military and personal problems. My weapon of choice are Sais, small dagger-like knives. My parents, Seifer and Quistis Almasy, are SeeDs at Balamb Garden, as is my older brother. In addition to being a SeeD, my mother is also an Instructor. She teaches several classes and I have been in all of them on my way to achieving the rank of SeeD. She is an excellent teacher and is one of the most highly regarded instructors in the Garden. My father is a top-notch SeeD and is only dispatched on extremely important missions, because he is too good a SeeD to lose, not that he would ever be killed on a mission. My dad is the best fighter I have ever known. 
>>> 
>>> My mother and father grew up in Cid and Edea Kramer's orphanage in Centra. After that, they were both enrolled in Garden. My mother was a child prodigy and became a SeeD at 15, then obtained her instructor's license at 17. She actually instructed my father to become a SeeD on several different occasions. My father was somewhat of a problem child and didn't pass the SeeD exam until he was almost 19. By then, he had taken it at least twice, probably more and had been brainwashed by the sorceress Ultimecia during the second Sorceress Wars. That is all I'm saying about that subject because I love and respect my dad and don't like to think about the things he was forced to do under the sorceress' control. 
>>> 
>>> After the Sorceress Wars, my father came back to the Garden and my mother was his personal teacher. They didn't get along at first but after he finally passed the SeeD exam, their respect for each other turned to love. He proposed to her two years after returning to the Garden. They were married a year later. They probably would've been married sooner but an attack on the Garden left my mother with amnesia for a few months and they had to work through that. 
>>> 
>>> Two years after they were married, my brother, Lucian Gabriel Almasy was born. He is 6'3", 199 lbs., with blonde hair and blue eyes. Everyone calls him Luke. Unfortunately for him, he inherited our mother's farsightedness and has to wear glasses when he reads. He usually wears contacts though. He is eighteen years old and a SeeD at Balamb Garden. He passed the exam when he was sixteen, which makes him above average but not quite the prodigy our mother was. He is also planning on getting his instructor's license after a few more years. He says that he's enjoying being a SeeD too much right now to trade it all for sitting behind a desk. He shares our father's love of fighting. His weapon is the Hyperion Gunblade. 
>>> 
>>> Because both my parents are orphans, I have no real aunts or uncles but since they grew up with others in the orphanage that came to Garden, they are like my aunts and uncles, even though they aren't my blood relatives. Also, my dad's best friends, Raijin and Fujin Denko are like family as well. 
>>> 
>>> My Aunt Rinoa and Uncle Squall were married about five months before my parents. They have three children, two girls and a boy. Their oldest child, Raven Julia Leonhart, is nineteen and a sorceress like her mother. She is 5'4", 115lbs, with black hair and grey eyes. She became a SeeD at the age of seventeen. Because of her sorceress blood, she is skilled enough with magic that she needs no other weapon. The Leonharts second child is a boy name Taylor Allen Leonhart, but all of his friends call him Tal. Tal is sixteen and is one of my very best friends. He is 5'8", 154 lbs, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. His weapon preference is the Blaster Edge like his mother. The youngest Leonhart child is Raine Selene Leonhart. She is fourteen and training hard for her SeeD exam. She hopes to be able to take it by the time she is sixteen. She is 5'2", 108 lbs., with dark brown hair and brown eyes. Her weapons are Kali Sticks. 
>>> 
>>> Uncle Irvine and Aunt Selphie Kinneas are another pair of people that grew up in the orphanage. They were married two months after my parents. Their first child, Vaughn Irvine, was born about a month before my brother. He is 6'1", 191 lbs., with blue eyes and brown hair, which he wears down to his shoulders. He passed the SeeD exam with my brother and because they are so close in age, they were practically raised together and as a result, are best friends. Vaughn is a flirt like his father and there is hardly a girl in Garden who doesn't swoon when he smiles. Luckily, I am not one who falls victim to his charms. His weapon is the Shotgun. 
>>> 
>>> The Kinneas' other child is a girl by the name of Kayla Allie. She is sixteen, 5'5", 119 lbs., with auburn hair and green eyes. She is perky and cheerful exactly like her mother and even chose her mother's weapon, the nunchaku. Kayla is my very best friend in the whole world. We are like sisters. We share a dorm room right now, but as soon as we pass our SeeD exam, we will get our own rooms. We aren't looking forward to that. We've shared a dorm since we were ten. It will be hard to be separated. 
>>> 
>>> Another aunt and uncle are Uncle Zell and Aunt Cammi Dincht. Aunt Cammi and Uncle Zell were married in a double wedding with Aunt Selphie and Uncle Irvine. They have four children. The oldest, Cale Lester is about six months younger than my brother. He is best friends with him and Vaughn. They are practically inseparable, more so than me, Kayla and Tal. Cale is 5'6", 158 lbs., with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. He is a SeeD also and his weapons are his fists. He is an expert martial artist and learned from his father. Next are the Dincht twins, Gavin Melville and Morgan Janelle. They are fourteen. Gavin is older by a few minutes. He is 5'2 ½ ", 129 lbs., with blonde hair and brown eyes. His weapon is the spear. Morgan is 4'11", 93 lbs., with blonde hair and blue eyes. Her weapon is the whip, which my mother has trained her to use. The youngest Dincht, Kitara Ani is twelve. She is 4'8", 80 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes. Everyone calls her Kit. Kit is just beginning her training as a SeeD. While she hasn't quite decided which weapon she will use, she is strongly leaning towards a bo, or fighting stick, similar to her mother's weapon. 
>>> 
>>> My last aunt and uncle are Fujin and Raijin Denko. They were married almost a year after my parents but their only child, Tristen Nero Denko, was born shortly after my parents wedding. The Denkos had a secret relationship that no one knew about until it was uncovered that my Aunt Fujin was pregnant. By that time she was almost 8 months along. Because she is so small to start with, she didn't really show until then. Tristen is twenty years old. He is 6'6", 236 lbs., with silver hair and violet eyes. His weapon is the Katana and he is so skilled with it that he makes it look like an extension of his body. If Vaughn can make almost all the girls in Garden swoon, then Tristen makes all of them. He is tall like his father, but all other traits came from his mother. He has very pale skin and almost never says a word unless it's important. He turns heads everywhere he goes and any girl (including me) would jump at the chance to be his girlfriend. Unfortunately for us, he and Raven Leonhart have been dating since their early teens and they are so much in love that no one even entertains the thought that they might break up. It's just as well; they are the most talked about couple in Garden. They really are perfect for each other. 
>>> 
>>> Now that you have been introduced to everyone important that lives in the Garden, I'll get on with my story. It all started the day of my SeeD exam.


	2. PreRequisite

**Chapter 2: Pre-Requisite**

The day of my SeeD exam dawned clear and bright, a beautiful, sunny April day. I woke up to the beeping of my alarm clock, a shrill _meep meep meep_ that usually drives me crazy. On a normal day, I would've hit the snooze button and fallen back to sleep for another ten minutes. But today was different. Today was the day of my SeeD exam. I had been preparing for this day since I was ten years old and it was finally here. I had butterflies in my stomach as changed into my cadet uniform and then went to the room next to mind to wake up my best friend, Kayla. 

In Garden, cadets are required to share a room until they become SeeDs. Kayla and I have shared a room since we were ten, when we were officially enrolled in the Garden. Of course, we've lived here our entire lives because this is where our parents live. Anyway, the cadet doors consist of a main room with two bedrooms and a bathroom off the back. Kayla lives in the left hand room and I occupy the right. 

I walked into Kayla's bedroom and after maneuvering through her mess of magazines and clothes on the floor, shook her awake. 

"Kayla," I called, "Kayla wake up!" 

Kayla slowly opened her eyes, and looked up at me sleepily. "Kaisa, what?" 

"Wake up," I insisted, "Today is our SeeD exam!" 

Kayla's eyes opened a little wider and looked clearer. "What?" 

"Today's our SeeD exam! Come on, get up so we can find Tal and get some breakfast. We're gonna need the extra energy." 

Kayla sat up reluctantly and I left her alone to get dressed. A few minutes later, she emerged from her room, dressed in her cadet uniform, which was slightly wrinkled as always. Kayla's hygiene habits were a bit more laid back than mine. My uniform was crisp, clean and wrinkle-free as always. I inherited my mother's sense of professionalism I guess. 

Kayla rubbed her green eyes, which were a shade brighter than mine, and yawned. "Are you ready to go?" 

"Yep," I chirped. I was so excited I could barely contain myself. Kayla and I left our dorm room and headed down the hall to the boy's dorms. We stopped in front of room 379 and knocked on the door. 

"Tal!" I yelled, "Are you awake?" 

"Just a sec!" 

A moment later the door opened and Tal Leonhart stepped out, also dressed in his cadet uniform. He looked so much like his father yet he had his mother's personality, which made for a strange mix. He smiled. 

"So, today's the day huh?" he asked, "We're gonna be SeeDs!" 

"We're taking our SeeD exam," I contradicted, "There is still a possibility that we might not pass." I also inherited my mother's level headedness. 

"Ha!" Kayla laughed, her previous sleepiness having dissipated, "We're the children of the Legendary SeeDs! We won't have any problem passing a simple SeeD exam!" 

"Kayla's right!" Tal backed, "Our older siblings did it, we can do it too!" 

"You're right," I agreed, "Our parents our heroes, our siblings have done it, it's just a matter of time before we're SeeDs too." 

"Yeah!" Kayla and Tal chorused and the three of us made our way to the cafeteria for breakfast. Just before we got there, we ran into my brother Luke, Kayla's brother Vaughn and Cale Dincht. 

"Hey kiddies," Luke greeted, "Today's the big day. You think you're ready for your exam?" 

"If you did it, we can definitely do it," I assured him with a superior smirk, which I inherited from my father. 

"Ha ha," Luke sneered, "Very funny kid. Listen, in all seriousness, the SeeD exam is no pushover. I mean, I know you're all rough and tough sixteen year olds, but if you let it, this exam will chew you up and spit you out." 

"We've been training for six years," Tal reminded, "We'll be fine." 

"Okay," Luke said, "Just trying to help." 

"What about you two?" Kayla asked, turning to her brother and Cale, "Any words of wisdom for us youngsters?" 

"Yeah," Vaughn offered, "Don't die." 

"Gee thanks," Kayla scoffed. 

"Good luck guys," Cale called as we turned towards the cafeteria. 

"Thank you," we replied in unison and then disappeared into the cafeteria. 

Inside, the room was full of SeeDs and cadets getting or eating their breakfasts. Tal and I got in line while Kayla got us a place to sit. We got our breakfasts and then joined her at a table near the back of the room. My stomach was still fluttering and I had trouble eating. I could tell by the smiles on their faces that the others were excited as well. We could hardly wait to get going, but the SeeD exam participants wouldn't even leave until 1300 hours. 

As we were eating, Kayla suddenly sighed dreamily and her gaze fixed onto a point across the room. I followed her eyes to a table where Raven Leonhart and Tristen Denko were just sitting down with their breakfasts. Kayla had a huge crush on Tristen, as did almost every girl in the Garden. I wasn't quite as smitten as Kayla, but Tristen was definitely a reason to get up in the morning. Tal saw what we were looking at and scoffed. 

"Put your tongues back in your mouths," he insisted disgustedly. 

"What?" Kayla asked. 

"I saw you drooling over Tristen," Tal told her. 

"I wasn't drooling," Kayla huffed. 

"You practically were." Like most guys in the Garden, Tal was jealous of Tristen and the attention the girls gave him. It also didn't help that he was dating Tal's older sister. 

I ignored Tal's remark and slowly let my eyes drift around the room. When I first looked, every female eye was on Tristen but suddenly, a few of them turned towards the entrance to the cafeteria. Without even looking, I knew who had to have entered. There were only two other males in the Garden who could take a female's attention away from Tristen Denko, and only then for a short period of time. Sure enough, as I looked to the entrance, I saw Luke and Vaughn enter with Cale. 

Vaughn Kinneas was a lady's man; just like his father and it didn't hurt that he was good looking too. He wasn't gorgeous like Tristen, but he had a down home look that the girls really liked. He wore his brown hair down past his chin and never tied it back unless he was going into battle. He also wore a cowboy hat like his father, which he tipped at every girl he came across. Likewise, my brother was not ugly by anyone's standards. As hard as it is for me to say, my brother is a hottie. His hair is the same shade of blonde as my mom's, while mine is the lighter shade of my dad's, and he has blue eyes and no scar, but other than that, he looks almost exactly like my father. 

As the three of them got in line for their breakfast, I turned back to the conversation at the table. Tal and Kayla were still snipping at each other about Tristen. Tal was saying that he didn't know what the girls saw in him and Kayla was trying to explain it. I sighed and interrupted them. 

"Guys, this conversation is entirely pointless. Unless Tal miraculously turns into a girl, he's not gonna understand what we see in Tristen and explaining it to him isn't going to do any good." 

They reluctantly agreed and we got back to our meal. We began to talk about what we expected the SeeD exam was going to be like when Vaughn, Cale and Luke joined us at our table. 

"Hey kiddies," Luke said, "mind if we join you?" 

"You wanna stop calling us kiddies?" Kayla asked. 

"Not really," he stated as he sat next to Tal. Sometimes he could be a stubborn ass just like our father. 

"Ease up on 'em Luke," Vaughn insisted as he sat next to me, across from Luke. "Tomorrow, they'll be SeeDs just like us." 

"I know," Luke told him, "that's why I have to get all my teasing in before then." 

Cale sat down next to Luke and they dug into their breakfasts. After a few minutes of mundane chatter and a few visits by some giggly girls, Luke looked down at his watch, then at me. 

"Hey, don't you have to go to Mom's class this morning?" 

"Yeah, why?" 

"Because it's 8:56." 

My eyes went wide and I dropped what was left of my breakfast burrito onto my tray. "Are you serious?" 

"Wouldn't lie to ya sis," Luke swore. 

"Oh Hyne, we're gonna be late!" I wailed and jumped up. Kayla and Tal did the same and we dashed away from the table. 

"Throw our stuff away!" I called over my shoulder. I heard them groan as we hurried through the crowds and out the door. We raced to the elevator and I pushed the call button impatiently. Finally, the elevator car arrived and we crowded in. Tal had barely cleared the door before I pushed the 2F button that would take us to the second floor, where my mother's classroom was. The ascent seemed to go on forever and when the elevator finally stopped, it was 8:58. We sprang out of the elevator, almost knocking down a few SeeDs who were waiting to board the cab and ran down the corridor until we came to the classroom. They door whooshed open and we made it to our seats just as the bell rang. Thank Hyne, because my mother would've killed me if I were late to class, especially on a day like this. 

"Good morning class," Quistis Almasy spoke from the front of the class. She glanced briefly at me, letting me know that she knew how close I was to being late. Even though she is forty years old, my mother is still the most beautiful woman in Garden, and she can still evoke the façade that earned her the nickname "Ice Queen". "As you know, today is the day of your first SeeD exam. While some of you will pass this test, some of you will not and there is nothing wrong with that. You will just have to try harder and take it again next time. No matter whether you pass or fail this time, I am proud of all of you for the hard work you have shown me so far and for the hard work I know you will do in the future. Because today is the exam, there will be no class today." The students remained silent and not one of them smiled or cheered at the prospect of not having to sit through my mother's class. She really is an excellent instructor. She continued. "All of you are dismissed until 1300 hours, at which time you will be required to gather at the main gate, where you will be divided into teams and assigned to a SeeD as your superior. I will be going on the SeeD exam with you, so I'll see you then." She paused, then added, "One more thing, is there anyone here who hasn't completed their pre-requisite?" 

Reluctantly, I raised my hand and I noticed that Kayla did too. We were the only ones. We looked over at Tal questioningly but he just shrugged his shoulders apologetically. My mother gave us another stern look and then addressed the class. 

"All right, everyone except Cadet Almasy and Cadet Kinneas are dismissed. Good luck to all of you and make sure you eat something before the exam." 

The rest of the class stood up and left the room, including Tal, who didn't want to stay around and risk getting lectured by my mom as we were almost certain to get. A few students hung around to talk to my mother before they left. Even after all these years, she still has Trepies. After everyone had vacated, she turned to us. 

"Kaisa, perhaps you would like to explain to me why you haven't completed your pre-requisite yet?" 

"I was going to," I insisted, "but I got so busy studying for the written exam and you were so busy with grading the tests and I didn't want to bother you…" I trailed off as she scowled at me. 

"You could've asked your father to go with you," my mother said, "Or your brother, or any of your aunts and uncles or Vaughn, or Cale or any other SeeD in the Garden. My being busy is not an excuse." She turned to Kayla. "And what is your excuse?" 

"Me and Kaisa were going to go together," Kayla answered lamely. 

My mother sighed. "Well, as both of you know, if you don't you don't complete the pre-requisite, you can't take the SeeD exam." 

"We still have time to take it don't we?" I asked, afraid that I had already blown my shot at being a SeeD and Kayla's as well. 

"Yes," my mother replied and I let out a sigh of relief. "However, you have to find a SeeD to take you to the Fire Caverns. I would take you but I have to get ready for the exam." 

I turned to Kayla. "Who're we gonna get to take us?" 

"Why don't you ask your brother?" my mom suggested. 

I groaned. "Oh Mom, come on! He'll just make fun of us the whole time and then probably screw it up for us once we get there." 

"What about Vaughn?" Kayla offered, "he could come too." 

"I guess," I agreed reluctantly, "but we better ask Cale to come along too to keep them in line." 

"Okay," Kayla nodded. 

"Good," my mother praised, "the two of you go and find them and then report back to me once you've completed the mission. Remember to stock up on Blizzard spells and be careful." 

"We will," I promised as we stood up. 

"Wait," she called and walked over to her desk. She opened one of the drawers and took something out of it. "You're going to need this." She walked back over to us and handed me a pale blue stone. I recognized it instantly as one of the stones that Guardian Forces, or GFs are kept in when not junctioned. This particular stone housed the GF Shiva, the goddess of Ice. 

I took the stone that my mother offered and ran my fingers along the smooth surface. "Thanks Mom." 

"I want it back after you come back from the Fire Cavern," she told me, then turned to Kayla. "I'm sure your mother will let you use one of hers as well." 

"I'll find her and ask her before we go," Kayla stated. 

"I guess you're set then," my mom commented, "I'll see you two when you get back." 

I nodded. "See ya later mom!" 

"Goodbye Aunt Quisty!" Kayla called as we walked out. We walked back to the elevator and waited for it to return to the second floor. 

"We totally screwed ourselves," I said as we waited, "You know that right?" 

"How so?" Kayla questioned. 

"We have to go to the Fire Cavern," I started, "and fight all the way through. Then, after that, we have to take the SeeD exam. We're gonna be exhausted. I don't know why I kept putting this off." I groaned in frustration. 

"Don't worry about it," Kayla assured with a smile, "It'll be fine." 

"I wish my dad was here," I grumbled as the elevator doors opened and a few cadets stepped off. "He'd take us to the Fire Cavern and not give us any crap." My dad was currently on a SeeD mission in Centra. 

Kayla and I boarded the elevator and rode it back down to the first floor. We stepped off and I was only mildly surprised to see Tal waiting for us. 

"Hey guys," he greeted, somewhat timidly. 

We both frowned at him with narrowed eyes. 

"When exactly were you going to tell us that you had already completed your pre-req?" I inquired. 

"Yeah," Kayla supported, "we were all supposed to go together." 

"I wanted to wait and go with you guys," Tal explained, "but my dad found out that I hadn't done it yet and he made me go with him to Dollet so I could get it out of the way. I didn't tell you because I knew you'd be mad." He smiled sheepishly. "I got a pretty cool GF though." 

We stared at him a moment longer before I spoke. "All right. Let's see what you've got." 

Tal smiled from ear to ear and pulled a blue stone from his pocket. It was almost identical to the one my mom had given me. "My dad heard a rumor about a new GF wandering around the old Dollet Communications Tower, so we went there to check it out." 

Kayla and I peered down at the stone, which was only semi-transparent. Inside, a small shadow darted quickly from one side to the other. 

"What's it called?" Kayla asked. 

"Aquarius," Tal informed proudly, "He's a water elemental." 

"Pretty cool," I acknowledged as he slipped the stone back into his pocket. "So, have you tried him out yet?" 

"Only against Grats in the Training Center," Tal said, "I'm hoping to give him a real workout during the SeeD exam today." 

"Speaking of which," Kayla reminded, "We'd better find our brothers and get going to the Fire Cavern or there isn't going to be a SeeD exam for us." 

"She's right," I agreed, "We'll see you later Tal." 

"Okay," he nodded, "Good luck at the Fire Caverns." 

"Thanks." 

Kayla and I left Tal by the elevator and went towards the dorms. We went back to the room we shared and got our weapons, then headed back to the main hall. On the way, we ran into Raine Leonhart and the Dincht twins, Gavin and Morgan. 

"Hey," Morgan and Gavin greeted cheerfully. Raine, who was in her teenage "I hate everything" phase, merely nodded. 

"Hi guys," Kayla smiled, "Have you seen Luke, Cale or Vaughn?" 

"We saw them heading towards the library a few minutes ago," Morgan told us. 

"The library?" I repeated, "Our brothers and Cale were heading towards the library?" 

Gavin nodded and Raine cleared up the situation. "They're stalking the new librarian." 

"Oh yeah." I remembered that the new librarian was a petite brunette with piercing blue eyes who had just transferred from Trabia Garden. 

"Thanks," Kayla waved and we headed over to the library. When we entered, we saw Vaughn, Cale and Luke leaning on the check-out counter at the front of the library. I could tell by the way they were standing and the way they were looking at her that they were flirting. I decided it was my sacred duty as a little sister to help her out. 

"Lucian!" I called as we entered. Luke pretended not to hear me. He hates to be called Lucian. 

Kayla grinned mischievously and called to Vaughn. "Vannie! Oh Vannie!" 

Vaughn twitched a little and glanced in our direction, but didn't turn his head or indicate that he saw us. 

"Lucian!" I shouted and we walked over to the group of boys. They still ignored us. "Lucian, I'm talking to you." 

Luke smiled at the librarian. "Just a second." The brunette nodded and he turned to me. The smile instantly faded from his face and he hissed, "go away!" 

"Is that anyway to treat your little sister Lucian?" I asked innocently. 

The librarian, who was probably only a year older than us, grinned. "Oh, is this your little sister?" 

"Unfortunately," Luke said through clenched teeth. 

"She's so cute!" the brunette exclaimed. 

I looked over at Kayla and rolled my eyes. Luke should be thanking me for saving him from a girl like her. Of course, I knew he wouldn't see it that way so I turned back to him. "Lucian, Mommy said that you have to take us to the Fire Cavern so we can complete our pre-requisite." 

"You too Vannie," Kayla added. 

Luke stared down at me. "You're joking right?" 

"Do I look like I'm joking?" 

"No way," he told me and turned back to the girl, hoping to regain conversation before Vaughn took his place. 

"I'm serious Lucian," I continued, loving every minute of this deserving torture, "You don't want me to call Mommy and have her come down here and talk to you, do you?" 

He turned back to me and glared. "You wouldn't dare." 

I smirked, the same smirk that had made my father infamous in Garden. "Try me." 

Luke grabbed my arm and looked at the librarian. "Would you excuse me for a moment? My sister and I have something to take care of." 

"Sure," the airhead giggled. 

Luke squeezed my arm and began dragging me out of the library. Behind us, I heard Kayla tell the librarian that Vaughn still sleeps with a teddy bear. I had a feeling they would be joining us in the hall any minute. 

Luke shoved me roughly through the door and then pulled me to a halt in the hallway. 

"Ow!" I shouted and yanked my arm away from him. "That hurt jackass." 

"Good," he whispered fiercely. He was keeping his voice down because we had already been in trouble several times with the Disciplinary Committee for sibling spats in the halls. "What the Hell do you think you're doing?" 

"Me and Kayla have to complete our pre-requisite before we can take the SeeD exam." 

"And why is that my problem?" 

"Because Mom told me to get you and Vaughn to take us," I said. 

"After that little stunt you just pulled in there?" Luke asked incredulously, "I don't think so." 

"Come on," I pleaded, "You have to! If you don't, we can't take the exam." 

"Not my problem." 

Behind us, the library door burst open and Vaughn came out dragging Kayla. Cale was following behind, a grin on his face. 

"Why did I have to have a sister?" Vaughn asked rhetorically. 

"You know you love me," Kayla smiled. 

"Loved," Vaughn insisted, "in the past tense because when I get done with you, that's what you're going to be, past tense." 

"Ooh, I'm scared," Kayla laughed. 

"Why are you here?" Vaughn asked us. 

"We need you and Luke to take us to the Fire Caverns for our pre-requisite," Kayla stated. 

"Oh yeah, after what you just did, I'll get right on it," Vaughn said sarcastically. 

"Look at it this way guys," I started, "You can either take us to the Fire Cavern and be good big brothers in the eyes of the library bimbo, or, you can not take us and all of your deep dark secrets will end up as a new book in the library. It's your choice." 

"Nice try," Luke acknowledged, "but you don't have anything on us." 

"We'll make stuff up," Kayla assured. When it comes to stuff like this, she is the more ruthless of the two of us. 

Vaughn and Luke looked at each other, then back at us. Behind them, Cale chuckled. 

"They've got you." 

Luke glared at him, then at me and Kayla, who were standing side by side. "How do we know you won't make up things anyway?" 

"Why would we?" I inquired. 

"Yeah," Kayla agreed, "I mean come on, we're conniving but we're your sisters. We wouldn't embarrass you unless it was absolutely necessary." 

"You will pay for this some day," Luke swore. 

"Does that mean you'll take us?" I asked hopefully. 

"And it won't be pretty," Luke continued. 

"Thank you!" Kayla and I exclaimed, then hugged our brothers. 

"Let's go and get this over with," Vaughn commented, "I don't want to keep the ladies waiting too long." 

Kayla and I rolled our eyes then started down the hallway. Luke turned to Cale and pushed him towards us. 

"Hey, what are you doing?" the shorter man demanded. 

"You're coming too," Luke ordered. 

"Why?" 

"Because," Vaughn smiled, "we can't leave you here alone with the ladies." 

"Not that it would matter," Luke chuckled. 

"Shut up," Cale snapped. 

The three of them followed us out of the library corridor and into the main hallway. Kayla stopped when we got there. 

"I still have to get a GF from my mom," she reminded. 

"Where do you think she is?" I questioned. 

"She, dad and Aunt Rinoa are decorating for the SeeD ball in the Quad," Vaughn informed. 

"Let's go!" Kayla chirped and led the way to the Quad. When we stepped in, I was surprised to see that most of the room was still undecorated. A few ladders were set up inside the room and various people were at the top of them, trying to hand crepe paper or other decorations. Various decorations and drop cloths were strew out on the floor as people darted back and forth, desperately trying to get their share of the work done. Amidst all this chaos, Aunt Selphie was shouting instructions through a bullhorn. 

"You on the ladders!" she shouted, "hang that crepe paper higher! And you at the table! Sprinkle the confetti, don't toss it!" She looked up when she saw the five of us approaching. "Hi guys! Come to help me with the decorations?" 

"Actually, we're on our way to the Fire Cavern to complete our pre-requisite," Kayla informed. She sounded somewhat disappointed that she couldn't help while the rest of us sighed with relief that we had an excuse to get out of it. 

"Kayla," Selphie frowned, "You should have done that weeks ago." 

"I know Mom," Kayla agreed, "I've just been so busy…" 

"I know," Selphie sympathized, "SeeD exam time is hectic. So what did you come to see me for?" 

"I wanted to know if I could borrow one of your GFs." 

"Sure," Selphie nodded, "Siren is in my dorm room in the first drawer of my nightstand." 

"Thanks." 

We were just starting to leave when Irvine Kinneas, master of the ladies, walked up. He draped an arm around his petite wife and smiled. "Hi pumpkin. What brings you here?" 

"I was just asking Mom if I could borrow a GF for my pre-req at the Fire Caverns," Kayla explained. 

"Oh." Irvine nodded, then jerked a thumb towards the three guys behind us. "Why'd you bring them?" 

"They have to come with us," I answered. 

Irvine smiled. "Taking time out from the ladies, huh son?" 

Vaughn grinned arrogantly. "Can't let them get too much of me, I might cause a riot." 

"Oh please," Kayla gagged. 

Irvine turned back to me and Kayla. "Well, you two, be careful." 

"We will Daddy!" Kayla promised and we headed towards the entrance of the Quad. 

"If you guys get back in time, come and help us decorate!" Selphie called as we exited. 

"We will!" Kayla agreed, but I knew she would be the only one who would. 

After we left the Quad, we made a pit stop at the dorms so Kayla could get Siren, then headed towards the main entrance. Kayla and I waved at the gatekeeper, Mr. Hino, and the five of us exited the Garden. Outside, the April sun was warm and the sky clear. Once we were all outside, Luke stopped us. 

"Okay, listen up kiddies," he began. Kayla and I glared. "We are going to the Fire Cavern which means that we need to stock magic that will counter fire. Can anyone tell me which element is the opposite of fire?" Still we glared. "That's right, ice. So, do you guys have any ice magic?" 

"We have some," I admitted, "but we could always use some more." 

"Okay," Luke agreed, "we'll take a detour to the beach and stock up on some Blizzard spells." 

We made our way across the plains towards the beach, fighting Bite Bugs and the occasional Caterchipiller in the forests. Like my mom, my Limit Break is Blue Magic, so after fighting a few Caterchipillers, I acquired a Spider Web, which allows me to learn a new Blue Magic called "Ultra Waves." It's a pretty weak spell, but it's a start. 

After about a billion Bite Bugs lay dead behind us, we finally made it to the beach. By this time, Kayla and I were pumped up and ready to fight something a little more deadly than stupid giant bugs. We stepped into the soft sand of the beach and once again, Luke stopped us. 

"Okay, here, we're going to find a little fishy monster called a Fastitocalon-F," he informed, as if we didn't already know. 

Kayla leaned over to me and whispered, "He's like a bad tour guide." 

I smiled and fought hard to keep from laughing as he continued. 

"Now, these little fishies are nothing to mess with. They are serious monsters and can hurt you pretty bad if you let them." 

"For Hyne's sake Luke," I interrupted, frustrated, "We know all about Fastitocalon-Fs. We're not first year cadets you know." 

"I'm just trying to warn you." Luke held up his hands defensively as if warding off a blow. "If you think you can handle them, be my guest." He swept his hand towards the expanse of beach in an inviting manor. 

"Let's do this," I said to Kayla and she nodded with a grin. We walked past the three men and ventured farther down the beach. I was the first to spot the telltale orange fin of the Fastitocalon-Fs. 

"There." I pointed to wear the fiery appendage was poking out of the sand. "Are you ready?" 

"Maybe we should junction our GFs," she suggested. We did and then advanced on the little critter. Kayla struck first, smacking the fin with her nunchaku. An eerie wail emitted from the sand and then the fish creature sprang up into the air and hovered as a real fish might do in water. I wasted no time in rushing forward and slashing it with my Sais. The monster wailed again and dive-bombed Kayla, cutting her arm a little. She drew a cure from it to heal the wound and we continued our attack. After we had weakened it a little, we decided to take turns attacking and drawing magic until the little creature was dead. 

We continued this process with a few more fishies until we had stocked up on all the magic we needed. Once we were finished, we rejoined the guys at the edge of the sand, sweating but nonetheless feeling good about ourselves. 

"Not bad," Vaughn complimented as we joined them, "You can handle yourselves pretty well." 

"Whad'ya think?" I asked, pushing my light blonde hair back from my face, "That we're amateurs?" 

"Now that we're all stocked up on spells, let's get to the Fire Caverns," Luke said. We agreed and started off across the plains again towards our destination. We were careful to avoid the forests nearer to the Cavern because none of us wanted to risk running into a hungry T-Rexaur. As tough as my brother pretends to be, those dinosaurs scare the Hell out of him. 

It wasn't too long before we reached the Fire Cavern. We walked up the path to the entrance and stopped outside. 

"Alright," Luke began, "Me and Vaughn will go in with you two. Cale can stay out here and time you. How long do you think you'll need?" 

"Why do we even have to do this?" Kayla asked, "I mean, I know it's a pre-requisite but it's pointless. Ifrit isn't in there anymore so there's no chance of getting a GF." 

"Apparently you haven't heard the new rumors, have you?" Cale inquired. 

"What rumors?" Kayla and I questioned in unison. 

"I heard a few SeeDs talking about a few new GFs that have taken up residence in the Cavern," Cale told us, "They say they're Fire sisters and so far, no one has been able to beat them." 

Kayla and I looked at each other. "Looks like we'll just have to be the ones to do." 

"Booyaka!" Kayla exclaimed, using the phrase she had stolen from her mother. 

"What are we waiting for?" I asked, "Let's go." I turned to Cale. "Give us ten minutes, although I doubt we'll need the whole time." 

"Remember, the closer to the end of your time that you defeat these sisters, the better your SeeD rank will be," Vaughn reminded. 

"I know," I assured, "We're gonna be top ranking SeeDs before we even go on our first mission." I turned to Kayla. "Ready?" 

"Ready!" she agreed, holding her nunchaku in front of her eagerly. 

I pulled my Sais out of their sheaths and twirled them around. "Then let's kick some GF butt!" 

"Time starts…NOW!" Cale announced and the four of us hurried into the Cavern. 

Just inside the entrance, we were hit with a wave of heat so intense that it made it difficult to draw breath. We were all instantly covered in sweat. 

"It's hot in here!" Kayla complained as we made our way towards the back. 

"That's why it's called the Fire Cavern," Vaughn quipped. Kayla glared but didn't want to waste the energy to hit him. We continued on through the Cavern, fighting our way through Buels and Bombs. We hesitated with each monster just long enough to draw some Fire spells we could use to boost our stats, then continued forward. We past by the fork in the road and a branch that led to a Fire draw point. We knew not to stop and draw, as it would eat up precious seconds that might mean the difference between passing and failing our pre-requisite. Finally, we reached the back of the Cavern. 

At the back of the caves was a large peninsula of land completely surrounded by lava. The heat was almost unbearable here and we were constantly wiping the sweat out of our eyes. We stopped at the foot of the peninsula so we could check our junctions and squeeze any last minute advice from our brothers. 

"This is it," Luke told us as we junctioned the Fire magic we had just obtained. "You guys have about six minutes to initiate battle and defeat the GFs. Remember, me and Vaughn are here for support only, so you two have to do this by yourselves. We'll periodically call out the time to you and if things get too bad, we'll finish the battle for you." 

"You won't have to do that," I assured. "We're gonna be fine." 

"Okay," Luke agreed, "are you guys ready?" We nodded. "You have about five and a half minutes to go. Good luck." 

Kayla and I nodded at each other and ran out onto the peninsula, keeping our senses heightened for a surprise attack. This proved to be unnecessary as a second later, an amorphous figure emerged from the lava and joined us on the peninsula. As it walked toward us, it quickly changed into the form of a woman. She was wearing a bright red bikini top, a matching skirt that was slit up to mid thigh and no shoes. Her skin was a pale red and her hair appeared to made from flames. Her eyes were dark brown but fire leapt up in the irises. She glared and pointed a pointed, red fingernail at us. 

"Who are you?" she demanded in a voice that was chilling but also evoked the thought of fire, as did the rest of her. 

"We're the ones who're gonna finally beat you," Kayla replied defiantly. 

The fire GF's face melted into a sinister grin. "You think so huh? Well then, bring it on little girls." She turned back to the lava. "Ember! Come on! Some more foolish mortals have come to challenge us!" 

As we watched, another shapeless figure emerged from the lava. This one stopped next to it's companion and changed into a girl as well. She was very similar in appearance to the first GF, except her clothes were a bit more conservative and she seemed to be a little more laid back than the first. She looked at me and Kayla, then back to her companion. 

"Really Blayze, you need to stop getting so worked up about them," the one called Ember insisted, "You know how this is going to end, why get excited?" 

"Because I love the fight," Blayze smiled. "Now come on sister, let's show these mortals the meaning of pain!" 

Kayla and I tensed as the one called Blayze turned her attention from her sister to us. The sinister grin still played upon her lips. "Let's start out easy, shall we?" Her grin widened and she pointed her finger at Kayla. "Fira!" 

The second level Fire spell hit Kayla and engulfed her body for a few seconds. Luckily, we had junctioned our Fire magic to elemental defense so the spell only did half the damage it should have. Kayla recovered quickly and smiled, almost a evilly as the GF. 

"Now it's my turn," she announced, "Blizzard!" 

The ice spell connected with Blayze and she hissed in pain as the ice seared her flesh. "You think a weak ice spell will defeat me? Think again." 

"I got this one," Kayla insisted, "You take her sister." 

"Got'cha." For the first time during the battle, I struck. I ran forward and sliced Ember with my Sais. The more peaceful of the two was caught of guard by my bold and vicious attack and she gaped at me wide-eyed as my Ice junctioned Sais cut into her fiery skin. 

"How dare you!" she cried. "You will pay for your insolence!" 

The Fire GF began to gather fire in her hands and her hair stood up on end. I knew something bad was coming and to be honest, I was a little worried. Ember's eyes had been closed the entire time she gathered the energy but suddenly they opened and I was surprised to see that the brown part was gone and was replaced by flames. 

"Fire Storm!" she shouted and several balls of fire leapt from her body and shot towards me. I was able to dodge some, but not all. Luckily I had my elemental defense against Fire or I probably would've been hurt a lot worse than I was. After the onslaught of the fire, I cast a Cure spell on myself, looked over to see how Kayla was doing then launched a Blizzard spell at Ember. 

I won't bore you with all the details of the fight, but I will tell you that it was a pretty difficult battle. The sisters' were tough and it didn't help that practically ever two seconds Vaughn or Luke were telling us how much time we had left. Finally, as we were down to a two and a half minutes, the sisters got tired of us and decided they were going to finish us with their most devastating attack. 

"I grow bored of this battle," Blayze told her sister. In fact, she was probably afraid that they were going to lose. She was losing blood (which for them was actually something like lava) in several places where Kayla's nunchaku and Ice spells had hit her. 

"I agree," Ember nodded. She was doing about as good as Blayze, except one of her eyes was swollen shut after I sliced her with my Sais. 

"Then let's show them what real power is!" Blayze suggested. In front of us, the sisters floated up into the air, their hair and clothes waving and fluttering in some unfelt wind. 

"Crimson Volcano!" the sisters cried and almost instantly, the ground under our feet began to shake. Before we even had time to react, geysers of flaming rock and molten lava erupted under us, scalding us and slamming rocks into us at the same time. I couldn't hear anything over the roar of the fire, but I could almost feel Kayla screaming as she was engulfed. 

Just when I thought I could take no more, the fire ebbed and disappeared. Before I could stop myself, I fell to the ground on my hands and knees. My body hurt everywhere, not just from the fire, which I was partially protected from, but also from the rocks that had mercilessly pounded me in the inferno. I managed to look over at Kayla and saw she was on the ground, not moving. I could hear footsteps running towards us and I figured Luke and Vaughn were coming to the rescue. 

"Don't!" I called hoarsely to them, "We aren't finished yet." I turned my head and saw them stop at the place where the peninsula emerged from the solid land. They looked at each other as if they weren't sure they should back off, then remained where they were. I managed to ease back onto my knees and threw a Phoenix Down on Kayla. She groaned and sat up, although she still looked dazed. 

"We're not done yet, are we Kay?" I called to her. 

She looked over at me and a small smile emerged on her soot-covered face. "No way, we're just getting started." 

We cast a few more Cure spells on ourselves until we were able to stand, then looked back at the sisters. 

"We've still got a little fight left in us," I assured them, "so get ready to be defeated." 

"Foolish girls," Blayze cackled. "You are no match for us." 

"Maybe we're not," I agreed, "But I know someone who is." I grinned and then yelled, "SHIVA!" 

The fire sisters' eyes went wide as the Goddess of Ice appeared in front of me. Her icy gaze fixed on the Fire GFs and she cast Diamond Dust on them. After freezing them in a river of ice, a casual snap of her fingers shattered it and heavily wounded the sisters. By the time Shiva had disappeared, the sisters were on their knees, gasping for breath. 

"Sh…Shiva!" Blayze exclaimed breathlessly, "How did they get Shiva!" 

"Perhaps we should've opted out of this fight," Ember offered, a little too late. 

Kayla and I smiled at each other and I nodded. 

"And just for your information, you aren't the only ones who have a combined attack," Kayla informed. She looked at me. "Ready Kai?" 

"Ready Kay." 

"Prepare to swear allegiance to us, girls," Kayla boasted, "'Cause it's all over." 

"Demon Pinscher!" we shouted together. 

I tossed one of my Sai to Kayla and she tossed one end of her nunchaku to me, keeping the other end for herself. We ran towards the Fire GFs, who had barely gotten to their feet. They stared wide-eyed as the two of us ran behind and around them, successfully tying them up with the nunchaku. When the two of us came back around the front of the GFs, on the opposite side, we each plunged a Sai into the sister who was in front of us. They two GFs screamed as one and fell to the ground, still wrapped up in the nunchaku. Kayla and I stepped back as the sisters wheezed and gagged on the ground. 

"All right," Ember whispered with some difficulty, "We admit defeat. We will join you." 


	3. SeeD Exam

**Chapter 3: SeeD Exam**

"All right," Ember whispered with some difficulty, "We admit defeat. We will join you." 

Wasting no time, Kayla and I removed the Sais from the sisters and released them from the nunchaku. We then cast a few Fire spells on them until they felt well enough to stand. They stood up, then immediately bowed before us. 

"We swear allegiance to you, Masters," Ember swore. 

"We will serve you from this day forth," Blayze promised. 

"Awesome!" Kayla exclaimed. 

"We accept your offer of service," I told them. 

The sisters nodded and they melted into the amorphous figures they had been when they emerged from the lava lake. They continued to change shape until they were nothing more than two orange stones lying in front of us. I picked up the stone that had been Ember and Kayla took Blayze. We slipped the stones into our pockets and turned to our brothers. 

"So," Kayla smiled smugly, "What do you think of us now?" 

Our brothers were staring at us in disbelief. 

"Hey, I hope you guys recorded how long it took us to do that," I reminded. 

"Oh yeah!" Luke looked down at his watch and pushed a button. He grinned. "Not bad. Twenty three seconds left." 

Kayla and I smiled at each other. "I knew we could do it." 

"Was there ever any doubt?" Kayla grinned. 

"I wish I had heard about those GF sisters before now," Vaughn commented as we started back through the Cavern. He winked mischievously. "I wouldn't mind having them swear their servitude to me." 

Kayla scoffed and I laughed. "They would've kicked the crap out of you." 

"Yeah," Vaughn agreed, "But it would've been fun." 

"You're hopeless," Kayla insisted. We hurried through the caves, only stopping to use the Fire draw point and to fight a few monsters. We emerged a few minutes later into sunlight that, compared to the inside of the Fire Caverns, felt artic. Cale was waiting for us. 

"Did you get 'em?" he asked. 

"Yep!" Kayla and I showed him our matching orange GF stones. 

"Awesome. Now, let's see," Cale looked at his watch. "It takes about four minutes to get from one end of the cavern to the other so I'm gonna say you finished with about…" He did the calculations in his head, "Twenty-five seconds left." 

"Pretty close," I agreed, "Luke clocked it at twenty-three seconds." 

"Let's get back to the Garden," Kayla suggested, "I wanna rest up before we have to leave for our SeeD exam." 

I agreed and the five of us trudged back to the Garden. We had barely stepped inside when I ran into my mom. 

"So, how'd it go?" she inquired. 

In one breath, me and Kayla told my mom about the battle in the Fire Cavern and the GF sisters. She smiled in amusement at the way we spoke over one another and sometimes finished each other's sentences. She spoke when we were finished. 

"Sounds like you had fun," she grinned. 

"We did," I assured. 

"Major fun," Kayla concurred. 

"Oh yeah, I have Shiva for you." I concentrated and unjunctioned Shiva. I felt the stone return to my hand and I opened my eyes. "Here." I gave the stone back to my mom. 

"You guys did very well," My mom praised, "and I'll see you at 1300 hours." 

"Okay, see you then." 

After leaving my mom, me and Kayla thanked the guys, then headed back to our dorm. Because of the battle and the heat, we were both covered in dried sweat and a fair share of dirt. We each took a shower and changed into a clean (or what passed for clean with Kayla) uniform. By this time it was 1239 hours, almost time to meet at the front gate. We rested for a few minutes, then cleaned and in my case, sharpened, our weapons. Once this task was complete we left the room in search of Tal. We found him in his room, pacing back and forth in the front room. His roommate, a younger cadet, wasn't taking the SeeD exam with us so he was in one of his classes. 

"I'm so nervous I can't sit still," Tal told us. "So how did you do in the Fire Caverns?" 

"We scored," Kayla informed and we showed him Ember and Blayze. 

"Cool," Tal acknowledged. "I guess we're all ready to go then, huh?" 

"As ready as we'll ever be," I admitted. 

Tal grabbed his Blaster Edge off a table and the three of us headed towards the main entrance to wait for our instructions. When we arrived, there were already five or six cadets gathered. They appeared more nervous than we were and were continually pacing the floor in front of and around the Garden Directory. There were also several SeeDs present, including Luke, Vaughn and Cale. 

"What are you guys doing here?" we asked as we joined them. 

"Mom asked us to participate in the SeeD exam," Luke grumbled. It was obvious that he wasn't too happy about it. 

"Why didn't you just tell her no?" I inquired. 

"Yeah right!" he exclaimed, "You know that you can't tell Mom no. Even if I did, she would've told the old man about it and he would've come down on me like a ton of bricks." "The old man" is what he calls our dad. It's supposed to appear like an insult but I think it's really a term of affection. 

"Hyne, I hope one of them doesn't get assigned to whatever squad we're in," Kayla mumbled. 

"You know, there's a possibility that we won't even be in the same squad," I told Kayla and Tal. 

Kayla regarded me with shock. "How can you say such a terrible thing! We have to be in the same squad! I've never fought without at least one of you by my side!" 

"Even if it does happen," I assured, "We'll be fine." 

Kayla's nervous energy seemed to pick up a notch and it was also laced with despair. "I don't know what I'm gonna do if I'm by myself." She began to pace the floor with a few others. 

By 1259 hours, a group of about 30 cadets and ten SeeDs had gathered in front of the Directory and the main gate. The only person now missing was one Quistis Almasy. At precisely 1300 hours, she joined the group. She smiled warmly at the gathered SeeDs and cadets, then took a place at the front of the group. 

"Hello everyone," she greeted, "I'm glad to see all of you are on time. We've sometimes had a problem with that in the past. Luckily, since all of you are on time, no points will be deducted from your final score. I'd like to congratulate all of you for making it this far and would also like to wish you good luck in the upcoming trial. We will be departing for Fisherman's Horizon shortly, but first, you'll be split into teams of four with a SeeD as team leader. Let's begin. Team 1 will consist of…" 

My mother read off the names of each cadet and the SeeD to be placed with them. There were a total of eight teams and I ended up on Team 5 with Tal, Kayla and a boy named Dominic. He is a year older than us and very stuck up. He thinks he's the greatest fighter in the world and I don't know why my mom put him in a group with us. It's probably some kind of test. Anyway, the SeeD assigned to our team was a girl named Shana Richards. None of us really knew her and she didn't know us so we figured it would work out good. Anything was better than getting stuck with Luke, Cale or Vaughn as superiors. 

"All right," my mother began after everyone had been assigned to their teams, "We'll be leaving very shortly but first, Commander Leonhart would like to say a few words." 

While we had been separating into our groups, Commander Squall Leonhart had joined my mother by the Garden Directory. He nodded at her and stepped forward, clearing his throat as he did so. We all saluted as he stood before us. 

"At ease," he said. As one, the entire group relaxed. "I just wanted to congratulate all of you on making it this far as a cadet and hopefully all of you will be SeeDs before tomorrow. Good luck on your mission." 

He turned back to my mom and she smiled at him. He nodded slightly and then disappeared back into the main area of Garden. 

"Poor Dad," Tal commiserated, "he never was good at public speaking." 

"Now that everything has been taken care of here," my mother spoke again, "it is time to embark on your SeeD exam. We will be traveling by watercraft to Fisherman's Horizon. You will be briefed on your way there as to what the situation is and what your job is. Cars are waiting out front to take us to Balamb. Please remain with you SeeD superior until we reach Fisherman's Horizon." She turned and headed through the crowd, towards the exit. Once she had gone through the gate, the group turned and followed her out. 

Outside the Garden were nine cars waiting to take the teams to Balamb. Shana Richards led us to one of the cars and we climbed in. Once everyone was inside, the head car, which contained my mother and a few other top ranking SeeDs, started towards the town and the others followed. The ride to Balamb was a short one, thank Hyne, because if I had to watch Dominic shine his sissy daggers one more time, I was gonna kill him. 

When we arrived in Balamb, everyone left the cars and gathered at the docks, where two teams were assigned to each boat. We ended up with the team led by Vaughn Kinneas. One of the high-ranking SeeDs also joined each boat and my mother was on ours. Once everyone was securely in the boats, we departed for Fisherman's Horizon. 

The trip to FH was about thirty minutes by fast cruising watercraft so my mother began briefing us as soon as we were on the way. She stood towards the front of the vessel and began her instructions. 

"Fisherman's Horizon is currently being inhabited by two factions," she explained, "the first are pacifists loyal to the mayor. The other is a new group that thinks FH would prosper if they had a strict military government. They call themselves FFFH or "Fighting For Fisherman's Horizon." Yesterday, FFFH decided that in order to gain control of the city, they had to do away with the mayor. They raided his house yesterday and took him and his family hostage. It isn't known whether they are still alive or not. Our job is to clear out the FFFH faction and rescue the mayor and his family if they are still alive. Are there any questions?" 

Tal raised his hand. "Who paid for this mission? I mean, if we're on the side of the pacifists, don't they think that we're wrong for fighting?" 

"That's a good question," my mom agreed, "the pacifists don't believe in violence but they also don't want to end up under a military rule. Their only choice was to hire SeeD to eradicate the FFFH." 

"So what do we do when we get there?" Kayla inquired. 

"Right." My mother turned to a screen behind her, which lit up with a map of FH. "Team 5 will be stationed here," she pointed to the top of the stadium stairs, "to make sure that once we are in the city, no more FFFH members get in. Team six will be stationed here." She pointed to the docks. "To make sure they don't bring reinforcements by boat. All SeeDs will report immediately to the mayor's house and deal with the problem there. If all teams do their job and keep the FFFH from coming into the city, you'll pass your SeeD exam with no problem." 

"This is going to be a cinch," Dominic scoffed, "I could do this blindfolded." 

"Then why don't you?" I suggested. 

"Hey," he smirked, "Don't be jealous just because my father is a general in the Trabian army and yours is nothing but a lapdog." 

Before anyone could stop me, I was on top of the little twerp, trying to strangle the life out of him. I had thought about pulling out my Sais, but strangulation is so much more personal. As I squeezed tighter I began to yell at him. 

"You bastard!" I screamed into his red face, "How dare you call my dad a lapdog! I kill you!" As you can probably tell, the smirk, lighter hair and green eyes weren't the only things I inherited from my dad. I also got his temper, though I have a longer fuse. 

"Kaisa, get off of him!" my mother shouted behind me, but I ignored her. I just kept squeezing the little jerk's neck until his face started to turn purple and his eyes bulged. 

Next to me, Kayla and Tal were trying to pry me off of him but it was no use. My strength was fueled by rage. My mother continued to shout at me as well and the others stood around us with wide eyes. Suddenly, I felt someone wrap their arms around my waist and I was hauled off of Dominic, who slumped over and gasped for breath. My mother went to see if he was all right as I was set on my feet. I turned around to see who had pulled me off the little snake and found myself face to face with Vaughn Kinneas. 

"What the Hell's your problem?!" I demanded. 

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied coolly. 

I glared daggers at him but he seemed oblivious to it. "Nothing's wrong with me." I jerked my thumb towards the still gasping cadet. "He's the one with the problem." 

"Yeah," Vaughn agreed with a grin, "a bunch of bruises and a crushed windpipe." 

"Kaisa Edea Almasy!" my mother suddenly screeched from by the little roach. I turned slowly around as she stormed up to me, her face red and her hair in disarray. She looked seriously pissed and I found myself thinking about jumping off the boat. "What in the name of Hyne do you think you're doing?" 

"You heard what he said about Dad," I insisted. I knew I should just cower and apologize, but my pride wouldn't let me. Another "Dad" trait. "What was I supposed to do? Let him get away with that?" 

"Your reaction was far overblown for what was said," she scolded, "You could've killed him!" 

"One less disgusting little bug in the world isn't going to matter," I told her, while mentally telling myself to just shut up. 

The red on my mother's face darkened and she looked like she should be blowing steam out of her ears. I knew I was in big trouble. "I am deducting 20 points off your final SeeD exam score." 

"What?!" I exclaimed. "Why?" 

"Why do you think?" my mother shot back, "This behavior is unacceptable for someone who is about to take the SeeD exam. This reflects badly on SeeD, on the Garden and on me. Luckily it didn't happen at FH or I would be forced to cancel your chance to take the exam." 

I stared at her for a few seconds, my green eyes burning into her sapphire ones. Finally, unable to take this injustice sitting down, I said, "This is bullshit." 

"Excuse me?" my mother inquired angrily. 

"I said 'this is bullshit'!" I repeated, pronouncing every word slowly and deliberately. I should've just shut up but no, the old Almasy pride wouldn't let me. 

"You've got detention for a week for that one," my mother told me, "and you have to clean up after the SeeD ball, which, if you don't quit right now, you won't be attending." 

"This is unfair!" I cried, "he started it!" 

"And I'm finishing it," she told me, "Go sit down. I don't want to hear another word out of you for the rest of the trip. If I do, it'll be two weeks detention and no SeeD ball. That is, if you pass." 

I glared at my mother and she glared right back. Finally, I pushed past her and sat down in between Kayla and Tal. Kayla stared at me with wide eyes but after a quick look from me, she looked away. After the little incident, everyone sat back down to await arrival at FH. Across from me, moaning like he was dying, Dominic spoke in a low voice so my mother wouldn't hear. 

"You only got mad because you know it's true," he snickered. 

The little punk just didn't know when to quit. I started to go after him again but Tal and Kayla grabbed my arms and forced me back into my seat. I glared at both of them but neither of them would let me go until I slumped back into my seat again. I would've been so easy to just fry the little creep where he sat but I would be jeopardizing my entire future. He definitely wasn't worth that. Still, if he kept saying things, he was gonna get hurt. 

Lucky for me and even luckier for him, Dominic remained silent for the rest of the trip to FH. As we approached, my mother stood in front of us. 

"We're approaching Fisherman's Horizon," she informed, "Once we land, each team will go to their designated areas and will remain there until the SeeDs have completed their mission or until a retreat has been ordered. Remember, retreat orders take first priority. Good luck." 

A few moments later, the watercraft landed with a soft thud and the cargo doors opened, revealing the blue sky and the outskirts of FH. We all piled off and gathered on the docks with the other teams. 

"You all have your orders," my mother told us, "now go!" 

As the SeeDs took off towards the mayor's house, all cadet teams went to their designated areas to wait for any activity. As we came to a stop at the top of the stadium stairs, we encountered nothing more than a few pieces of trash, blowing in the wind. We stood at the ready but no one came along. Apparently all the FFFH members were concentrated in the middle of the city. 

"This is boring," Kayla complained. 

"Yeah," agreed Tal, "how are we supposed to say that we're big shot SeeDs if all we had to do for our SeeD exam was stand around and wait for the bad guys?" 

Suddenly, from farther in the city, a loud siren began to wail into the sky. Startled by the sound, we turned towards it's source and judged that it was coming from the old train station. We heard footsteps approaching behind us and we turned around. A group of four guys dressed in identical green outfits were heading toward us. 

"They must be calling for reinforcements," Kayla shouted over the siren. 

"Good," Tal smiled and checked his Blaster Edge, "let's get this party started." 

I pulled out my Sais. "You guys junctioned?" 

"Yep." 

"Yeah." 

Dominic was silent. I turned to him and was surprised to see that he was white as a sheet. "Hey, rat boy, you okay?" 

He flinched as if I'd struck him and clutched his daggers so tight, his knuckles were almost as white as his face. "Yes, I'm fine." 

"Are you junctioned?" I repeated. 

"Y…yes." 

I raised an eyebrow at him questioningly but didn't have time to further press the matter because the first group of reinforcements was upon us. They stopped in front of us and stared at us in confusion. 

"Who the Hell are you?" one of them asked. 

"We're SeeD candidates," Kayla answered proudly. 

"SeeD?" another repeated, "You gotta be kiddin' me!" 

"If you think we're lying, why don't you come over here and find out?" Tal invited. 

"You're gonna be sorry kids," the third one said and they rushed us. 

As we had been trained to do, we each took on one opponent so the odds were evened. Two of the men had gunblades, one had a sword and one was using his fists. I took one of the gunblade guys as I'd had quite a bit of training in defending against one. Kayla took the one fighting with gloves and Tal took the one with the sword, which left Dominic the other gunblade. Without hesitation, we threw ourselves into the battle. 

The guy I was fighting was fast but I was faster. He swung at me with his gunblade, obviously confident of his skills but I easily dodged and sliced him with my Sais before he even knew what happened. He hissed in pain as the cuts began to bleed and charged at me again. This time he brought the gunblade down on me but I rolled away and cast a Blizzard spell on him as I did. As the guy was frozen for a second, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around and just had time to get out of the way as the other guy with the gunblade charged me. I rolled to safety and was on my feet before his weapon hit the ground. 

As I sprang to my feet, I searched the vicinity for Dominic. I figured he must be hurt and was going to aid him if I could when I saw the little rat running back towards the ships as if Cerberus himself were nipping at his heels. 

"Dominic!" I screamed, "YOU COWARD!" 

I didn't have time for further insults because the two gunblade guys were now charging at me, full speed. I spun out of the way, slicing the closest one in the process. Because I was outnumbered now, I had very little time in which to recover from any mistake I might make. After spinning out of the way I brought my Sais up just in time to deflect one of the gunblades from cutting my head off. The other guy circled behind me and I tried to turn in a hurry but the first guy's gunblade got tangled up in my Sais. As I turned, my weapons were ripped out of my hands and I was left defenseless to face the second man. He saw me lose the Sais and was smiling sinisterly when I came face to face with him. Before he could attack, I did. 

"Ember!" I shouted and my GF appeared before me in all her crimson glory. As she melted into shape, she smiled at her enemy and whispered, "Fire Storm." 

While Ember was successfully flaming the second guy, I turned back around to the first. He had tossed my Sais out of reach and was advancing on me. I couldn't back up as I would walk right into Ember's attack. My only choice was to stand my ground and hope I didn't get gutted. I cast a Fire spell on the guy, but it wasn't enough to seriously wound him, only slow him down. By this time, Ember had dealt with the other guy, who was laying in a charred heap behind me. I began backing up but unfortunately I tripped over something and fell to the ground. Seeing his opportunity, the guy rushed towards me but when I had fallen, my hand landed on the other guy's gunblade. I grabbed the handle of it and swung it up just in time to deflect the first guy's deathblow. He was caught off guard by my counterstrike and stumbled back a few steps, giving me time to get to my feet. He regained his balance quickly and came at me again but this time I was ready for him. 

Because I admire my dad so much, there was a period of time when I wanted to master the gunblade just like him. As a result, I had trained with it for a few months until I discovered that the Sais were the weapon for me. In other words, I can handle a gunblade pretty well. Apparently the FFFH guy wasn't prepared for my expertise with the weapon and all he could do was block as I repeatedly attacked him. Finally, as my arms began to grow tired from the weight of the weapon, I decided to pull a trick I had learned from my dad. I held my hand out and yelled "FIRE!" The spell slammed into my opponent, knocking him back a couple of steps. The moment's distraction was all I needed and I ran forward and rammed the gunblade into the man's abdomen. His eyes rolled up into his head and he fell to the ground, the weapon sticking out of him. He twitched a couple of times and then lay still in a pool of his own blood. 

Sickened by the sight, I turned away quickly to look for my Sais. I found them a few feet away and bent to scoop them up when my vision clouded with tears. I had never killed anyone before. I had exterminated countless monsters, yes, but never a human being. I blinked the salty droplets out of my eyes and picked up my weapons. I turned to where Tal and Kayla were, both fighting the man with the sword. The other man lay a few feet away, dead as far as I could tell. I rushed over to help them and in a few seconds he had joined his companions. 

"Is everybody okay?" I asked as we tried to catch our breath. 

"Yeah," Kayla assured. 

"Hey," Tal started and squinted his eyes, "Where's Dominic?" 

"The little traitor took off as soon as the fight started," I informed. 

"He left?" Tal asked, astonished. 

"Yeah, he ran back towards the landing point just like a little sissy," I told them. 

"There goes his hope of ever being a SeeD," Kayla commented. 

"Good," I said, "SeeD doesn't need nasty little weasels like him." 

Our conversation was cut short as another group of FFFH men came at us. We dispatched them, as well as a few more groups. Suddenly, the siren that had been wailing almost since we got to FH fell silent. The three of us looked at each other, worry written on all our faces. 

"Why'd it stop?" Tal wondered. 

"Do you think that's a good thing?" Kayla inquired. 

"I hope so," I said. 

All of a sudden, a loud rumbling filled the air and shook the ground beneath our feet. We wobbled a bit but managed to stay upright. After the rumbling stopped, we looked at each other again, worry replaced by fear in our faces. 

"I don't think that was a good thing," Kayla commented. 

"Me neither," I agreed. 

"What do we do?" Tal asked, "Should we go into the town to help?" 

"We were told to stay here," I reminded, "If we go, we could fail our exam." 

"But what if the others need help?" Tal insisted. 

"They're SeeDs," I said, "They can handle it." The real reason I didn't want to go is because I remember that my Dad failed his second SeeD exam for not following orders. I love my dad, but I don't necessarily want to follow in his footsteps. 

From the middle of town, near the mayor's house came the sound of automatic gunfire. It was very loud and my first thought was that it came from some sort of machine rather than a human with an Uzi. We all looked at each other again. 

"That doesn't sound so great," Tal admitted. 

After the gunfire, the answering sound of a shotgun echoed throughout the town. 

"Vaughn," Kayla whispered and it was obvious that she was worried about her brother. 

"Hey," I smiled, "if he just shot something, that means he's alive right?" 

She nodded but I could tell she was still worried. Although my face didn't show it, I was worried about my mom and my brother. I wanted to keep my spirits up for Kayla though so I said nothing of my own worries. 

The electric sound of lightning sizzled through the air as someone cast a high level Thunder spell somewhere farther in the town. All of us twitched as if we had been hit with the electricity. 

"Something's wrong," Tal insisted, "We should go help." 

"If they need our help, they'll come and get us," I countered. 

Luckily, before any more argument could be had, a group of cadets raced past us towards the landing site. They were gone so fast that we didn't even have a chance to ask them what was going on. We were still staring after the first group when yet another team of cadets rushed by. We managed to stop one, a girl with short brown hair and gray eyes. 

"What's going on?" Tal asked her. 

"It's coming!" she shrieked, "Oh Hyne, it's COMING!" With that said, she broke out of Tal's grasp and hurried after her companions. 

"What's coming?" Tal wondered. 

We only had to wait a few seconds to find out. Almost on the heels of the last group came the SeeDs, apparently running for their lives. My mother was at the back and she was shouting orders to the others and occasionally casting Thundaga spells on something that we couldn't quite see yet but was coming up behind them. She turned forward again and caught sight of us. 

"Retreat!" she shouted, "retreat back to the landing point!" 

The three of us hesitated, too shocked to even move. What the Hell was going on? Suddenly, a barrage of automatic gunfire erupted behind my mother. She dove to the ground, as did the others in front of her, but not before she took a couple of rounds in the back. Luckily, she had a strong protect spell cast on herself and it deflected the bullets. She was on her feet again within seconds and running towards us again. 

"Go!" she screamed as she approached and we fell in with the group of SeeDs that were fleeing FH. I found myself running next to Kayla and Vaughn Kinneas and directly in front of my brother. Neither he nor my mother seemed to be harmed worse than a few scratches and minor burns. 

"What's going on?" I shouted as we ran. 

"Damned rebels souped up the BGH251F2!" Luke answered from behind me. I gasped in shock. The BGH251F2 was the machine that Aunt Selphie, Uncle Irvine and Uncle Zell had come to FH in after blowing up the missile base during the last Sorceress War. The SeeDs had left it in FH because they figured it would be useless to them because they were all pacifists. Now those damn FFFH jerks had fixed it up and were using it on us! 

I looked over my shoulder and saw the huge, lumbering machine round a corner and speed up to catch us. I was pumping my legs as fast as they would move and still the stupid thing gained on us. My mother and a few other SeeDs were casting Thunder spells on it but they didn't seem to be doing any good. Suddenly, the gatling gun on the front of it began to spin. 

"Get down!" my mother shouted and before I could react, I was being shoved to the ground by Vaughn. It was a good thing that he reacted so quickly or I probably would've been cut down in my tracks. After the onslaught of bullets, we got to our feet and ran towards the landing site. Because she was shorter than most of the SeeDs in the group, Kayla began to fall towards the back of the group. Afraid that the others would leave her behind, I slowed my pace to stay up with her until we were directly in front of my mom. 

"Run!" she yelled at us and we did. 

Suddenly, I saw Kayla go down beside me. I skidded to a halt and my mom ran right by me, obviously not realizing that Kayla had fallen or that I was going back for her. I ran back to where Kayla was and knelt down beside her. 

"Come on!" I screamed. Behind us, the machine was dangerously close. 

"I can't!" she wailed, "My foot's caught!" 

I looked down and saw that Kayla's right boot was stuck in between two pieces of metal in the disrepaired dock. I yanked on it but only managed to wrench a cry of pain from my best friend. I glanced up at the advancing BGH251F2 and then back at Kayla's black boot. Frantically, I pulled on it again but only got the same response. 

"Slip your foot out of the boot," I urged. 

"I can't," Kayla cried. I looked at her face and saw tears flowing down her cheeks, "my foot's twisted." 

Suddenly, Vaughn, Cale and Luke appeared at my side. 

"Get outta here!" Luke yelled, "We'll help her." 

"I'm not leaving her!" I insisted and felt tears prick my own eyes. I'd die before I'd leave Kayla there. 

"It's coming," Cale warned as he and Luke tried to pull Kayla's foot free. 

"I'll slow it down," Vaughn offered. He stood up and ran a couple of steps forward, his black trench coat floating behind. He took aim and fired a volley of shots at the machine. Although powerful, the attack only managed to stop it for a second and then it came with more conviction than before. 

"Where's Mom?" I asked Luke as he and Cale continued to work on Kayla's foot. 

"She led the other's back to the ships," he informed, "You'd better go too or she's gonna be pissed." 

"I don't care," I shook my head. "I'm not leaving without Kayla." I stood up and walked over next to Vaughn, who was shooting another round at the enemy. 

"Ember!" I called and watched as my GF attacked the machine with her Fire Storm attack. I turned back to Kayla. "Kay, can you summon Blayze?" 

She winced as one of the guys leaning next to her pulled on her foot. "Yeah." 

"Do it," I insisted and I called for Ember again. Both sisters emerged this time and performed their Crimson Volcano attack. The assault stunned the BGH251F2, but it recovered too quickly. 

"Get back!" Vaughn ordered, "It's gonna fire the cannon!" 

My mind was racing as I thought about what was going to happen. If we just got out of the way, the cannon would fry Luke, Cale and Kayla. Without thinking about what I was doing, I ran towards the BGH251F2. 

"Kaisa!" I heard Vaughn shout behind me, "What the Hell are you doing?" 

To tell the truth, I didn't know. All I knew was that I had to disable it before it shot the cannon. I reached the front of the machine and saw the gatling gun begin to turn. While this was bad for me, I was glad because it meant delaying the cannon. I jumped to the side just in time and hoped that no one else was hit. After the gunfire, I grabbed onto a protruding piece of metal and climbed onto the machine. 

"Kaisa!" Vaughn was running after me but I didn't turn to look. I managed to get on top of the BGH251F2, where it had no weapons. Once up there, I looked around, trying to figure out what I was going to do. My eyes fell on one of the stacks that released the pressure from the inside and I smirked. Excellent. 

I ran over to the nearest stack, pulling off my cadet jacket as I went. When I reached it, I stuffed the jacket into the stack, thereby blocking the excess pressure from being vented. Of course, there were five other vents to deal with as well. Casting a Blizzard spell on two of them successfully froze them up and a Thunder spell melted another closed. Only two left to deal with. Suddenly, the BGH251F2 began to shake underneath me and I had the feeling that something very bad was going to happen. Smoke began to pour out of the two remaining stacks and I could tell that the pressure was too much for just the two of them. 

From down below I could hear Vaughn screaming at me to get down and I was happy to oblige. I ran to the edge of the machine and was about to jump off when one of the stacks exploded. I was sent flying off the thing, into the air. I remember feeling my body shoot across open space and then begin to fall back towards the ground. I closed my eyes waiting for the impact. Just before I landed I felt someone catch me. Both of us were sent to the ground and another explosion shook the BGH251F2. I felt pieces of hot metal and other debris raining down around me and I tried to cover my head the best I could. 

When the debris stopped flying and everything grew quiet, I chanced a glance to see who I collided with. I found myself laying on top of Vaughn Kinneas. He was on his back, his cowboy hat laying a few feet away. He smiled when he saw my eyes on him. 

"You okay?" he asked. I nodded, not sure what to say. "Good." He started to push himself up and I scrambled off of him. Finally, as he winced when standing, I found my voice. 

"Oh Hyne Vaughn, are you hurt?" I asked him. 

"I'll be fine," he assured me with a smile. He started to bend over to pick up his hat but groaned in pain. I ran to his side and picked it up for him. He nodded in thanks and placed it on his head. 

"You're not okay," I insisted as he walked over to where Luke, Kayla and Cale were still sitting on the ground. "You're hurt. Probably a broken rib or maybe a few. You should take it easy until Dr. Kadowaki can take a look at it." 

"It's nothing," he said and stopped next to the others. "Everyone all right?" 

"Yeah," Cale nodded, "but Kayla's foot is still stuck." 

"What about that thing?" Kayla asked and pointed to the BGH251F2, "Do you think it's really done?" 

We looked back at the BGH251F2, which was missing the entire top half of it's structure and was still smoking in places. 

"Yeah, I'd say it's done," Vaughn grinned. 

"What about Kayla?" I questioned and tried to brush some soot off of the white shirt I was wearing under my cadet jacket. "How're we gonna get her out of there?" 

"I've almost got it, I think," Luke told me and bent down near her foot. "We just need to pull this piece away from that piece a little more and she'll be free." 

He and Cale each grabbed a piece of the metal and pulled with all their might. It barely moved, but it was enough to get Kayla's foot free. She pulled the boot from in between the metal and the guys let go, then helped her to her feet. Because of all the pulling and because it was twisted, her foot had swelled up and was painful. I helped her to her feet and she leaned on me and Cale for support. We were just starting towards the landing site when my mother and a few other high ranking SeeDs rushed up to us. 

"What happened?" she demanded, "Where is the BGH251F2?" 

Vaughn pointed to the smoking heap of metal. "Right there." 

"What happened?" my mother repeated, wide eyed. "How did you destroy it?" 

"Kaisa did it," Kayla explained, "she climbed up on top of it and plugged up the stacks. Then it just exploded." 

My mother looked at me and I saw the disbelief and worry in her eyes. It quickly turned to relief and she hugged me tightly. 

"Don't ever do anything like that again," she ordered, "do you hear me?" 

"Yes Mom," I assured and hugged her back. When I pulled away, she had tears in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. "Okay, let's get back to the ship. I sent the others ahead but had one wait for us." 

"Mom, Vaughn and Kayla are hurt," I told her. 

"How bad?" She looked at the Kinneas siblings. 

"I hurt my foot," Kayla informed, "I can't walk on it." 

"That's okay," my mom assured, "We can carry you." She turned to Vaughn. "What about you?" 

"I'm okay." 

"Where are you hurt?" 

"His ribs, I think," I answered for him, "He caught me when the BGH251F2 exploded." 

"Caught you?" my mom questioned and the same look of uneasiness filled her eyes as when she heard that I had climbed on top of the thing in the first place. 

"Yeah," I nodded, "It started rumbling when I was on top of it and I tried to get off but one of the stacks exploded and I flew off. Vaughn caught me on the way down." 

My mother turned back to Vaughn and he smiled sheepishly. "She makes me sound like a hero. What really happened is that she landed on me. I was just trying to get out of the way." 

"No you weren't," Kayla contradicted, "I saw the whole thing. You kept looking over your shoulder to see where she was and then you caught her." 

Vaughn glared at her but didn't have time to say anything before my mother spoke. 

"Thank you Vaughn," she said. He nodded. "Okay, let's get back to the ship. Luke, carry Kayla." 

Luke nodded and scooped her up as he would a child and we headed back towards the landing point. It was a relatively short walk and no one said much. When we reached the landing point, one ship was left to take us back to Balamb. We boarded quickly and in no time we were headed home. 

--------------------------------------------- 

Thanks to Wolf of Light for reviewing. I promise I'll read your story as soon as I get the chance.


	4. SeeD Ball

**Chapter 4: SeeD Ball**

On the way back to Balamb, we were mostly quiet. The most talking was done by me because I felt it was my sacred duty to tell my mother about Dominic's cowardice. She said she'd let the headmaster know and also commented that he probably wouldn't get the chance to take the SeeD exam again for a long time. 

When we got back to Balamb, the other crafts were waiting for us at the docks. We exited the watercraft and were met by the group of SeeDs and cadets. A few of the SeeDs began asking questions and me and Kayla, who was using me as a crutch, tried to push through the crowd to get to the cars. 

"Kayla! Kaisa!" We stopped at the outskirts of the crowd and turned towards Tal as he ran up to us. He through his arms around both of us and hugged us tightly. "I'm so glad you guys are okay!" 

"We appreciate your concern," I told him, "but we can handle ourselves you know." 

"I know," Tal admitted, "but I felt guilty because I wasn't there to help you. Aunt Quistis wouldn't let me go back to you." 

"It's okay," Kayla assured, "we got through it all right." 

"How did you guys get away from that machine thing?" he inquired. 

"It's a long story," I told him, "Let's talk about it later." 

He agreed and after Kayla slipped her other arm around Tal's shoulders, we made our way back to the car. We got Kayla in, then jumped in ourselves. We had to wait a few minutes before Shana Richards and that sissy rat boy Dominic joined us, then we were on our way back to the Garden. 

"Gee Dominic, I'm glad you made it back safely," I sneered, "I mean, you were in a lot of danger. You could've twisted your ankle while you were running." I turned to Kayla. "No offense." 

"None taken," Kayla insisted, "Why would I take offense? I wasn't running like a coward from soldiers when I fell." 

Dominic glared at us but didn't say anything. 

"Really," Tal agreed with our teasing, "the last time I saw someone run away that fast was when Uncle Zell was running to the cafeteria to get a hotdog!" 

The three of us burst into laughter and Dominic continued to glare. 

"Don't try to make up for your dad being a loser by making fun of me," he told me. 

I chuckled. "You know, my dad may have made some bad choices in his life, but he never _ever_ ran from anything or anyone." 

Dominic shut up again and he was silent for the rest of the way as I told Tal about how we blew up the BGH251F2. Even our SeeD superior Shana seemed impressed with my story. When we finally arrived back at the Garden, all cadets were ordered to gather at the front gate. We did and my mother spoke to us. 

"Now your SeeD exam points will be tallied," she informed, "When the results have been tabulated, you will be called to the second floor hallway. There, the names of those who passed will be announced by me or Commander Leonhart. Those who pass will be given a keycard to their SeeD room and then released to move their belongings. Until then, you are free to do whatever you like, but please remain inside the Garden. That is all." 

After she dismissed us, Kayla and I headed to the infirmary so Dr. Kadowaki could check out Kayla's foot. When we arrived, there were already a few cadets and SeeDs there who had been injured in FH. We took our seats in the waiting room and talked with a few others while we waited our turn. After a few minutes, the door to the examining room opened and Dr. Kadowaki's voice floated out. 

"Next time, be more careful," she admonished her patient, "You could've been seriously injured." 

"Sorry," the patient's voice, which I recognized as Vaughn's, came out of the open doorway as well, "I can never turn my back on a beautiful lady." 

I assumed the doctor was scolding him for catching me and I was surprised to hear a compliment from Vaughn. A second later, he emerged from the room, putting his cowboy hat back on. His black coat was draped over one arm and bandages around his mid-section were visible under his white T-shirt. His gaze fell on me and for a second, his smile faded and he looked slightly embarrassed. He must've figured I heard what he had told Dr. Kadowaki. It passed quickly however and his smile returned. He tipped his hat at me and then left the infirmary. 

"Did Vaughn just tell Dr. Kadowaki that you're a 'beautiful lady'?" Kayla asked. 

"I-I think so," I stammered. 

"He's such a dork," Kayla scoffed. 

The doctor helped a few more patients before she got to us. Because Kayla couldn't walk on her own, I was allowed to accompany her into the examination room. The doctor ordered her to sit on the bed and I sat next to her. 

Dr. Kadowaki has been with the Garden since it first opened. She is in her mid sixties but is still the best doctor anyone could hope for. She never married and has no kids so her life and family reside in Garden. I once heard her tell my mother that she'd still be seeing patients when she was ninety. 

"So Kayla," Dr. Kadowaki started, "What happened to you?" 

"I was running from the BGH251F2," Kayla explained, "and somehow my foot got caught between two pieces of metal on the dock. I twisted my ankle as I fell and then it got worse as Cale and Luke tried to get it free." 

"At least you didn't cause this one." Dr. Kadowaki looked at me over her glasses. 

"What do you mean by that?" 

"Vaughn was in here a few minutes ago and he told me about your flying act and how he caught you." 

"That wasn't my fault," I insisted, "It was an accident." 

"Those are the same words your father said to me every single time he came in here," the doctor grinned. She turned back to Kayla. "Let's get that boot off." 

The swelling had gone down some but it was still painful for Kayla to take the boot off. With my help, they finally managed to pry her bruised foot out of the shoe. Dr. Kadowaki bent down and examined it. 

"Looks like it's just a sprain," she diagnosed finally. "You'll be on crutches for a few days until the swelling goes down. I'll give you a painkiller and in a week you should be fine." The doctor wrapped her ankle, then gave her a set of crutches and the painkillers, which she slipped into her jacket pocket. "Stay off of it," the doctor warned, "or it'll take longer to recover." 

"I will," Kayla promised and we made our way back to our dorm room. Once inside, Kayla collapsed into a chair and I did the same. 

"What a day," I groaned. 

"Really," Kayla agreed, "Could it get any worse?" 

"Well, we could not pass." 

"That's not even funny," Kayla stated, "After all we've been through today, we better pass." 

A knock on the door interrupted our conversation but before either of us could go answer it, the door slid open and Aunt Selphie flew into the room. She practically tackled Kayla out of the chair and hugged her tightly. 

"Quisty told me you were injured!" she exclaimed, near tears, "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine Mom," Kayla assured as she hugged her petite mother back, "Dr. Kadowaki says it's only a sprain." 

"What about your brother?" Selphie questioned, "Is he okay?" 

"Yeah," Kayla answered, "He just hurt a few ribs. He caught Kaisa in mid-air after she was thrown off the BGH251F2." 

"Are you okay?" Aunt Selphie asked me. I nodded. "Good. Your mother told me about how you destroyed that machine. I can't believe they got it working after all these years." 

"It's definitely a modern miracle," I agreed. 

"Well, now that I know you're okay," Selphie let go of Kayla and straightened up, "I've gotta go finish decorating for the SeeD ball. It's gonna be the best one yet. I hope you guys like it!" 

Just as fast and energetically as she had entered, Selphie Kinneas disappeared back out the door. Kayla and I looked at each other. 

"Sometimes, I think she's seriously weird," Kayla said. 

"What parents aren't?" I reminded. 

Kayla nodded. After a short pause, she spoke. "So, do you think we should start packing up our stuff?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"You know," Kayla insisted, "In case we do pass the exam. We have to move to a new room." 

"Oh right." I thought for a moment. "I guess it wouldn't hurt, seeing as how we have nothing better to do." 

I helped Kayla out of the chair and we each went to our separate rooms. Because the rooms were so small, we had a very limited number of stuff that we kept in them. I packed all of my normal clothes into two suitcases and after finding an empty box that was laying around, I packed up what few personal items I had, including a family portrait in a silver frame and a teddy bear I'd had since childhood. Once this was done, I pulled out the case for my Sais and tucked them carefully inside. I wouldn't need them for the rest of the day. 

After I had packed, I went to help Kayla. She was having trouble because of the crutches so I moved everything to her bed where she could pack it. Of course, packing to her was cramming everything into a few suitcases and then sitting on them to shut them. The only thing she took care in putting away were her nunchaku. Once we were both packed and ready to move if we had to, we decided to go and get some lunch. We hadn't eaten since breakfast. 

On the way out of the dorm room corridor, my eyes fell on a familiar figure approaching. As always, he sported his long grey trench coat and had Hyperion strapped to his side. Flanking him on the left was Uncle Raijin and on his right was Aunt Fujin. They must've just returned from Centra. 

"Daddy!" I shouted and ran to him, where I was received warmly with a big hug and kiss. Whenever he greeted me like that, people always looked at him strangely, as if they didn't think him capable of such affection. They were all idiots. "When did you get back from Centra?" 

"Just a few minutes ago," he answered, "We left a little before the others." 

"Why?" 

"Because," my father smirked, "I wouldn't miss my little girl's induction into SeeD." 

I smiled. "What makes you so sure I'm gonna pass?" 

"You're an Almasy," he reminded. 

"Isn't that a reason to think she won't pass?" 

We turned around and saw Rinoa Leonhart headed towards us. She grinned at my dad and he glared back. 

"Ha ha," he laughed sarcastically, "Thanks for the input Leonhart." 

"No problem," she smiled, then turned to me and Kayla. "Have you guys seen Tal?" 

"Not since we got back," Kayla told her. 

"He's probably in his room," I offered. 

"Thanks." Aunt Rinoa walked by us and my dad stopped glaring. 

"Anyway," my dad continued, "Your mother told me about what you did to the BGH251F2. That's pretty impressive." 

"Thanks," I beamed. 

"She also told me about that Dominic kid and the little fight you two had on the way to FH." 

My smile faltered and I waited for what would come next. I knew everything was all right when my dad smirked. 

"You showed him not to mess with an Almasy, didn't you?" 

"Damn straight," I agreed, but quickly corrected myself, "I mean, yes, I did." 

"Well, I've still got a few things to do before the SeeD announcement," he told me finally, "I'll see you then." 

"Okay," I nodded, "Bye Daddy!" 

"Bye Uncle Seifer!" Kayla called. 

"Bye Uncle Raijin! Bye Aunt Fujin!" I yelled after the departing posse. They both turned and waved, then followed my father into the dorm room hallway. After my dad left, we continued to the cafeteria, where we had been heading in the first place. I got us some lunch while Kayla hobbled over to an empty table. I carried both of our trays to the table and we began to eat voraciously. Fighting really makes you hungry. 

"So," Kayla started in between bites of a chicken sandwich, "Are you nervous?" 

I pretended ignorance. "About what?" 

"Passing the exam!" Kayla sighed exasperatedly, "What do you think?" 

"Oh." I swallowed a drink of soda. "Yeah, a little." 

"Hyne, I hope we pass," Kayla said in a semi-prayer. 

"Don't get all hung up on it," I insisted, "I'm sure we did fine." 

"If I don't pass, Vaughn will never let me hear the end of it," Kayla continued, "He already thinks that because he's older, he's a better fighter. If I don't pass, I'll never live it down." 

"You'll pass," I assured, "We both will. And Tal too." 

"I hope so," Kayla breathed. 

We were just finishing our late lunch when the intercom on the cafeteria wall came to life with a merry tinkling of bells. "Attention cadets, those of you who took the SeeD exam today, report to the second floor hallway. I repeat, those of you who took the SeeD exam today, report to the second floor hallway. That is all." 

The intercom fell silent and I turned to Kayla. "You ready?" 

"Ready as I'll ever be," she grimaced and for a second I thought she was going to toss up her lunch. I threw away our trash and the two of us left the cafeteria and made our way towards the elevator. We met up with Tal in the main hall and the three of us continued on together. When we reached the elevator, we waited for the cab with a few other cadets and then rode it to the second floor hall. Half of the cadets were already there and more came after we found a position near my mother's classroom. Tal and I were leaning against the wall, trying to look nonchalant while Kayla began pacing in front of us. We waited for maybe five minutes before my mom's classroom door opened and she stepped out with my dad, Aunt Rinoa, Uncle Squall, Aunt Selphie and Uncle Irvine. They smiled at us as they walked towards the head of the group. 

"Oh Hyne did you see that?" Kayla whispered in despair after they had walked by, "Those were pity smiles! We didn't pass!" 

"Calm down," Tal ordered, "They were just smiling." 

Kayla, always dramatic when it came to things like this, refused to be comforted and paced even faster, her silver crutches flashing like lightning. She was walking so fast I thought she was going to cause a furrow in the marble floor of the hallway. 

"Welcome cadets," my mother spoke from the front of the group. The three of us pressed in closer so we could hear better. "The results of your SeeD exam have been calculated and I will read off the names of those who have passed. If your name is read, stay here for further instructions. If not, you may leave after all the names have been called. So, let's begin. In alphabetical order, the names of our newest SeeDs are…" 

Kayla grabbed my right hand and Tal grabbed her right hand as my mother began to read off the names. 

"Sheri Aenor…" 

A few feet away, a redheaded girl with pigtails turned to her friends and hugged them. 

"Seth Akkar…" 

Kayla's grip tightened on mine. If I passed, my name would be next. 

"Kaisa Almasy…" 

I squeezed Kayla's hand back but didn't turn for congratulations. We still had to see if she and Tal passed. 

"Jenley Burrows, Arian Dunton, Ariel Dunton, Keely Galley…" 

I could feel Kayla tense beside me. Her name was coming up. 

"Kayla Kinneas…" 

She squeezed my hand and I assume Tal's as well. 

"Tal Leonhart…" 

When we heard his name, the three of us turned to each other and hugged while jumping up and down. My mother finished the list. 

"And Jonah Sayers. Those of you who did not pass, train harder and perhaps you will have better luck next time." 

Almost ¾ of the group of cadets walked back towards the elevators, slump shouldered and disappointed. Those that remained behind were all smiles and we congratulated each other enthusiastically. Once the cadets had left, Uncle Squall spoke. 

"Congratulations on making it as a SeeD," he said, "Now, you will be sent on missions and paid a regular salary dictated by your SeeD rank. Your SeeD rank will get better if you complete missions in a timely and desirable fashion. Your SeeD rank will go down if you mess around or don't complete a mission you have been sent on. Now, all of you please ascend to the third floor, where Headmaster Cid will congratulate you and give you your SeeD ranking and Headmistress Edea will give you your uniforms and new dorm rooms. Dismissed." 

We saluted briskly and then made our way to the elevator. Because the elevator car was so small, we had to split up into groups. Me, Kayla and Tal were three of the last to get to the third floor office and we only had to wait a few minutes for Headmaster Cid and his wife Edea. We saluted as they entered. 

"Congratulations on passing the exam and being accepted into the prestigious rank of SeeD," the Headmaster congratulated. He was a portly man with almost completely gray hair and brown eyes. He had been Headmaster since the Garden opened and before that, he and his wife ran the orphanage that my parents grew up in. "As you know, SeeD is a very important part of this Garden…" As the Headmaster rattled on, I tuned him out and tried to imagine what it was going to be like being a SeeD. I also wondered what my first mission would be. Once the Headmaster was finished, he spoke to each one of us individually to give us our SeeD ranks and to say a few personal words of encouragement. I was the third one in line. 

"Ah, Kaisa Almasy," he smiled, "Seems like just yesterday that I was talking to your father in this position. Although, the way he was taking the exams, I'm surprised it wasn't yesterday." 

I smiled politely at the Headmaster's joke. While most of the time I hated it when people made fun of my dad, I knew that Cid was just messing around and loved my dad like he was his own son. 

"Anyway," he continued, "based on the calculations of your pre-requisite and your field exam, your SeeD rank will start at 9. And on a personal note, I have negated your detention for the week, but you mother insists that you still be made to clean up after the ball tomorrow." 

"Thank you," I whispered and he moved on to the next person. _Damn you Mom_ I thought. After Cid had told everyone their ranks, he stood in front of us again. 

"Now, you will be issued your SeeD uniform and your new dorm room," Cid informed, "Please for a line in front of the Headmistress and she will give you a uniform and a new dorm." 

We all walked over to Matron (Because that's what our parents always call her, we call her Matron as well) and got in line for our uniforms and new dorms. 

When I got to the front of the line, Matron smiled warmly at me. 

"Congratulations," she whispered as she handed me my first SeeD uniform. She then grabbed a piece of paper with a keycard clipped to it and handed it to me. "Your new dorm." 

I thanked her and walked aside as Kayla went next. After she and Tal both had gotten their uniforms and dorms, we looked at the numbers for our new rooms. 

"Mine's 145," Tal told us. 

"Mine's 198," Kayla informed. 

I grinned. "Matron's the best." 

"Why?" 

"Because my room is 197," I explained. 

"All right!" Kayla exclaimed, "It'll be almost like sharing a room." 

"Come on," Tal urged, "Let's go get our stuff moved so we can get ready for the SeeD ball." 

We agreed and rode the elevator back down to the first floor. When we stepped off, we weren't surprised to find our parents waiting for us. They all hugged us and congratulated us on our success. 

"It's so hard to believe," Rinoa said, near tears, "My little boy's finally a SeeD." 

"Geez Mom," Tal blushed, "Your acting like I've twelve or something." 

"This is an emotional time for us," Selphie insisted, "our babies our growing up." 

"I assume Cid told you that he got you out of detention," My mother inquired. 

"Yes," I smiled. I shouldn't taunt her but I couldn't help it. 

"Yes," my mother smirked sinisterly, "Well, you still have to clean up after the SeeD ball tomorrow." 

"I'm aware," I told her. 

She narrowed her eyes. "Sometimes you remind me so much of your father I just want to scream!" 

My dad turned from where he was talking to Uncle Squall. "What did I do now?" 

"Nothing," my mom assured. "So, what are you guys doing now?" 

"We're gonna go move our stuff to our new rooms," I informed, "After that, I guess we're getting ready for the ball." 

"We'll see you there then," my mother said. We said goodbye to our parents and then made our way to the dorm rooms. Our first stop was to check out our new rooms. All three rooms were identical, as were all the others. They consisted of two rooms, a main room and a bathroom off the side. The main room had a kitchenette in the front and a bed in the back. The rooms were in no way luxurious but because they represented our ascent into SeeD, they were the most beautiful things we had ever seen. 

"We finally did it," Tal commented as we made our way to our old rooms to start transporting our stuff. 

"I knew we would!" Kayla shouted. 

I chuckled. "Yeah right. When we were waiting for the results, I thought you were gonna have a coronary or something." 

"I was just nervous," she defended. 

"That's an understatement," Tal teased. 

"Hmph." Kayla stuck her nose up in the air, indicating she was not going to talk with us anymore. We laughed and continued to the rooms. 

The next hour or so was spent transferring boxes and unpacking them in the new rooms. Inside the closet were several SeeD uniforms identical to the ones Matron had given us. They had been placed in the closets once it was known who would be occupying the room. After my stuff was unpacked and situated, I went to help Kayla. Because of her crutches, she couldn't carry the boxes and was instead, kicking them across the floor with her good foot while holding herself up on the crutches. I found her coming down the hallway from our old room, kicking a small suitcase. I picked it up for her. 

"Having fun?" I asked as we headed back to her room. 

"Oh, tons," she assured. We reached her dorm and entered. 

"Well, how about you stay here and unpack and I'll bring the rest of your stuff?" I suggested. 

"Okay," she agreed, "but find that good for nothing Tal and make him help you." 

"I will," I promised and left the room. I ran into Tal just as I was approaching the old room. 

"Hey, I was just coming to look for you." 

"Good," I grinned, "You can help me haul Kayla's stuff to her room. 

"Why?" he groaned, "I just got done with my stuff!" 

"Why?" I repeated, "Because she is one of your best friends and friends help each other when they need it, so get your bony butt in gear, Leonhart." 

"You know," he told me as we entered the room, "this could cause another Leonhart-Almasy feud." 

"Almasy-Leonhart," I corrected, "And I doubt it. You don't have it in you to hate me." 

"You're right," he agreed. We each grabbed a few things and took them back to Kayla's new room. It only took us a few trips and we were done by 1600 hours. After getting Kayla's room situated, Tal went back to his and we decided to get ready for the SeeD ball. Because we had just passed the SeeD exam, we were required to wear our SeeD uniforms but we were allowed to accessorize with make-up and fix up our hair. The SeeD ball started at 1800 hours and we were ready ten minutes before it was to begin. 

"We look great," Kayla commented as she hopped over to the mirror to examine herself. Her hair was curled into ringlets that bounced as she walked. 

"Of course we do," I agreed. My hair was done up into a French twist with curly tendrils framing my face. 

"Let's go find Tal and then head to the Quad," she suggested. 

"Okay." 

Kayla grabbed her crutches and we left her room. We went down the hallway and stopped outside Tal's room. We knocked sharply and he opened the door, dressed in his SeeD outfit as well. His hair was slicked back, which allowed attention to be drawn to his icy blue eyes. 

"Whoa Tal," I grinned, "looking good." 

"Why, thank you," he smiled, "You're not looking too bad yourself." He turned to Kayla, "And of course, you look stunning as well." 

Kayla blushed furiously and avoided his gaze. "Thanks." 

"Wow Tal," I commented, "I never knew you were such a ladies' man." 

"It's a well hidden talent." He held his arms out to us. "Shall we go?" 

We each looped an arm in his and he escorted us to the ball. Inside the Quad, a few people had already gathered. Soft music came from speakers around the room and was being played by a pianist up on the makeshift stage. Dark blue and white streamers and balloons decorated the ceiling and a huge banner reading "Congratulations SeeDs!" hung over the stage. Throughout the room, round tables were set up, covered with white tablecloths and set for dinner. Against one wall was a long rectangular table that was set up with food and drinks. 

"Look at this place," Kayla breathed, "I hardly recognize it." 

"Your mom did a good job," I admitted. 

This was our first SeeD ball so we were a little wary as to what we were supposed to do. Luckily my mom came up to us as we stood marveling at the décor. She was wearing a peach colored gown and her hair was cascading down her shoulders in a golden wave. 

"Welcome to the SeeD ball," she greeted with a smile, "I reserved a table for you guys over there." She pointed towards the back of the room. "You'll have to sit with your brothers and Cale though." 

"Ahhh," Kayla and me whined but we were in too good a mood to really be upset about anything. The three of us followed my mom to the table she had indicated earlier and sat down. At the table next to us, my dad, Uncle Raijin, Aunt Fujin, Uncle Squall, Aunt Rinoa and Uncle Irvine were talking and sipping drinks. They waved when we sat down but didn't stop their conversation. 

We had barely sat down when a waiter came up to us and asked us if we'd like some champagne. Of course we said yes and he sat three glasses filled with the bubbly drink in front of us, then left. 

"This is so cool," Tal insisted as he took a gulp of his champagne. 

"Go easy," I warned as I sipped my own, "You don't want to have your daddy carry you out of here, do you?" 

Tal stuck his tongue out and continued to enjoy his drink. After a few more minutes, the room began to get crowded and I heard my mother call to my brother, Vaughn and Cale. They came over and joined us at the table. 

"Congratulations kiddies," Luke smirked, "I'm proud of you." 

"Gee, thanks," I replied sarcastically. 

"Check this out," Vaughn teased and grabbed Tal's champagne glass, which was empty, "They're SeeDs now so they think they're big drinkers." 

"Shut up." Tal snatched his glass back from the cowboy. A waiter came up and refilled it while also leaving glasses for the three newcomers. 

"So," Cale asked, "What ranks did you guys get?" 

"8," Tal and Kayla replied in unison. 

"9," I answered, somewhat timidly. 

"9?" Kayla repeated, "Really? That's awesome!" 

"Hey Luke," Vaughn said, "When you passed your SeeD exam, weren't you only a level 7?" 

"Shut up Kinneas," my brother growled. 

I chuckled. "Come on Luke, don't be jealous just because I'm better than you." 

"Keep telling yourself that, kid," he insisted. 

Our little sibling argument was interrupted as Uncle Zell, Aunt Cammi and Aunt Selphie joined the table with our parents. They each said hi and Uncle Zell and Aunt Cammi congratulated us on our passing of the exam. 

After they had been served drinks, Raven Leonhart and Tristen Denko appeared at our parents' table, hand in hand. Raven spoke to her mother for a few seconds while Tristen remained silent. 

"Why don't you join us?" Rinoa offered, "You can sit over there." She pointed to our table. 

"We'd love to but we're sitting with some friends," Raven declined, "I just wanted to say hi and to congratulate my little brother." She came over to our table and hugged Tal. "Good job." 

"Thanks," he replied awkwardly. 

"Congratulations to you two as well," Raven said to Kayla and me. 

"Thank you," we replied in unison." 

"Congratulations," Tristen said in his soft voice and then left with Raven. After they were gone, Kayla was practically hyperventilating. 

"Did you hear that?" she screeched, "he talked to me!" 

"He talked to all three of us," Tal reminded, "Not just you." 

Kayla ignored him. "Oh, he's so gorgeous!" 

Vaughn laughed. "He's not so great. What does he have that I don't got?" 

Kayla burst into laughter. "Vaughn, you're a riot! What does he have that you haven't got? Everything!" 

Vaughn scoffed and turned away from Kayla. As he was turning, his gaze fell on me and his eyes locked with mine. I had no idea why, but his eyes were so enchanting that I couldn't turn away. Finally he smiled and I lowered my gaze. I could feel a blush creep up on my cheeks and hoped that no one else saw it. 

After everyone was present, the waiters served dinner, steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, bread sticks and salad. Everyone ate and talked about various things. After people began to finish with dinner, a few more musicians joined the piano player on the stage and began playing music to dance to. A few couples got up and twirled around the dance floor as others finished their dinners. 

After our dinner was finished, the plates were cleared away and we were served more champagne. The drink was making me feel all warm inside so I decided that I wouldn't have another. Tal, ignoring the signs, drank another glass before he turned to Kayla and smiled. 

"Wanna dance?" he asked. 

"How am I supposed to dance?" she inquired, "I have a sprained ankle, remember?" 

"Don't worry about it," Tal assured and stood up, "I'll hold you up. Come on." He held his hand out to her. 

"Go Casanova," Vaughn teased. 

Kayla glared at her brother and then put her hand into Tal's. He helped her up and then supported her as they went out to the dance floor. Cale and Luke left the table, saying they were going to get more drinks, leaving Vaughn and me alone. 

"So," I said lamely, "How're are your ribs?" 

"Fine," Vaughn told me, "Two broken. Nothing serious." 

"Sorry." 

"Don't worry about it," he smiled, "It was worth it." He flashed me the famous Kinneas grin and once again my cheeks were warmed with a blush. Thinking it was a side effect of the champagne, I turned away quickly. 

The band on the stage ended the song they were playing and another, slower song started. It was instantly recognizable as "Eyes on Me", an old song that Aunt Rinoa's mom had written about Uncle Squall's dad. At the table next to us, Aunt Rinoa jumped up. 

"It's our song Squall!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Come on!" 

Uncle Squall stood up and led her onto the dance floor. My parents, Fujin and Raijin, Zell and Cammi and Selphie and Irvine followed. Once they were all out of the dance floor, I turned back to my table and looked down at the tablecloth. 

"Hey," Vaughn called and I looked up. "Wanna dance?" 

"Uh…" I stared at him blankly for a moment. "Sure." 

He stood up and walked over to me. He held his hand out and I took it. He helped me out of my chair and led me to the dance floor. He put his arms around my waist and I put mine on his shoulders and we began to spin around the floor. He looked down at me and smiled and I knew I was blushing again but there was nothing I could do about it. _Damn champagne_ I thought to myself. 

I looked away from Vaughn and caught Kayla's eye across the dance floor. She made a face and then pretended like she was gagging. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Vaughn. We danced until the song ended and a more upbeat tune was played. Vaughn led me back to our table and we sat back down, just as Kayla, Tal and our parents did. Luke and Cale were still off doing Hyne knew what. 

I looked over at our parents' table and saw my father eyeing Vaughn poisonously. He then leaned over to Uncle Irvine and whispered something sharply to him. Because I was closer than the others to him, I heard what he said. 

"Kinneas, you better tell your son to stay the Hell away from my baby girl." 

Uncle Irvine smiled. "It's not his fault she can't resist the Kinneas charm." 

"If he touches her again I'll kill him," my father swore. He looked away from Uncle Irvine and caught me staring at him. 

"Lighten up," Irvine insisted, not aware that I was listening. 

Suddenly, my mother leaned over. "Seifer, stop threatening him. If they want to be together, they will be and you can't stop them." 

"Excuse me," I whispered fiercely, "but you guys have this all wrong. I don't like Vaughn and I definitely don't want to be with him." 

"Of course not sweetheart," my mother agreed, "Boys have cooties, I know." 

"Hyne Mom, I'm not three!" I scoffed, "I am interested in boys, just not Vaughn." 

"Really?" my father asked, "Just who are you interested in then?" He cracked his knuckles threateningly. 

"Oh Hyne," I sighed and turned back to the conversation at our table. I caught Vaughn's eye and he winked at me mischievously. That's all I needed. I looked back at my father and saw that he too had seen the exchange. He was starting to get up but my mom pulled him back down into his seat. 

"Down Seifer," she hissed and he obeyed but not without glaring at Vaughn. 

A few seconds later, Luke and Cale returned to the table. They started a conversation with Vaughn, and me, Tal and Kayla talked amongst ourselves. 

"What's wrong with your dad?" Kayla asked after a few minutes, "It looks like he wants to kill Vaughn or something." 

I sighed and leaned closer so that Vaughn wouldn't hear what I said. "My dad thinks that since I danced with Vaughn, it means I want to marry him or something." 

"Eww!" Kayla exclaimed loudly, "Why would you want to marry Vaughn?!" 

I snapped my head around and saw that Kayla's little outburst had drawn everyone's attention from both tables. My face turned into crimson fire as I saw the grin on Vaughn's face. 

"I don't!" I snapped at Kayla, who was oblivious of the trouble her words had caused. 

"I'm gonna kill him!" my dad shouted from behind me. I didn't need to turn around to know that he was getting out of his seat. 

"Seifer, sit down right now!" my mom ordered, "You can't stop them from falling in love." 

"Oh Hyne," I moaned and buried my face in my hands. 

I heard my dad pull away from my mom and a second later he was at our table. "What did you do to my baby girl?!" 

"N-nothing sir," Vaughn stammered, "I didn't do anything to her." 

"You better hope to Hyne that you didn't touch her," my dad threatened, "because if I find out you did, I'll kill you, understand?" 

"Yes sir." 

I heard my father stomp back over to his table where he received a not so quiet scolding from my mother. I kept my face in my hands for a few more minutes until Kayla tugged on my arm. I looked up at her wearily. 

"Sorry," she apologized. 

"It's not your fault my parents are spastic," I assured her. I looked around the table and noticed that Vaughn, Cale and Luke had all disappeared. Next to Kayla, Tal appeared to be either sleeping or passed out. 

"I think it's time to go," I insisted and motioned towards Tal. 

Kayla nodded. "I think you're right." She nudged Tal until he woke up and then we stood up. 

"Where are you going?" my mother asked as the three of us left the table. 

"We're going back to our rooms," I informed. 

"Yeah," Kayla agreed as she balanced herself on her crutches, "We've had a long day." 

"All right," My mother agreed, "Well, goodnight." 

"Goodnight," Kayla and I echoed. Tal was still a little out of it and he managed a slight wave before stumbling off towards the exit with us. We left the Quad and after a few short stops in which Tal almost fell over, we made it to our dorm rooms. We helped Tal into his, where he fell on the bed and was asleep before we had made it to the door. We then made our way back to our own rooms. 

"'Night Kaisa," Kayla called as she entered her dorm. 

"'Night," I yawned and walked into my own. Once inside, I stripped out of my SeeD uniform and put on my pajamas, light green pants with chocobos on them and a white tank top trimmed in the same green as the pants. I climbed under the blankets on the bed and, as the day caught up with me, fell asleep in minutes.


	5. A New Threat

**Chapter 5: A New Threat**

The next morning, I woke up with a slight buzzing in my head but after a small internal debate, I figured Tal was going to be feeling a lot worse than me, so I didn't dwell on it. As I got up, showered and dressed, I contemplated the events at the SeeD Ball. I was hoping that everyone would be nice enough to just forget about what had happened, or at least not mention it again. Of course, I should have known that Kayla wouldn't drop it so easily. 

After getting dressed, I went next door to get Kayla for breakfast. After knocking for about five minutes, she hobbled over to the door, still in her pajamas. 

"Rise and shine," I chirped. She groaned and mumbled something about waiting a few minutes, then disappeared back into the room. A few minutes later she emerged, wearing some everyday clothes, just like I was. 

"Let's go find Tal," I suggested and we went down the hall to his room. We knocked for almost ten minutes before finally giving up and assuming either A) he had already gone for breakfast or B) he was still passed out from last night. We were leaning towards B and decided to go to breakfast alone. 

In the cafeteria, people were talking and eating just like normal. Kayla got us a table while I got some food and them joined her. We had barely sat down before she brought up the subject of the fiasco last night. 

"I can't believe anyone would think that you could like Vaughn," Kayla started after taking a sip of orange juice. "I mean, that's disgusting!" 

"Yes," I agreed, trying to subtly hint that I didn't want to talk about it. 

Of course, Kayla was never the hint-getting type, so she continued. "Why would Uncle Seifer think that you would ever like Vaughn? If just doesn't make sense. You're much smarter than that. Only idiots fall for the 'Kinneas Charm'." 

"Your mother fell for it," I reminded, though I couldn't figure out why I was contradicting her. 

Kayla sighed. "I love my mom and all, but sometimes she can be an idiot." She raised an eyebrow at me. "Why are you defending the 'Kinneas Charm' anyway?" 

"I wasn't," I insisted, "I was just reminding you that your mother was a victim, that's all." 

Kayla stared at me for a few more seconds, then turned to her pancakes. "You're right. I love my dad too but my mom was a victim. Luckily she had enough spunk to keep him from flirting with all the other ladies. Of course, my dad loves my mom so that helped too. Vaughn isn't capable of love. I feel sorry for any girl who thinks she can keep him all to herself." 

I didn't reply to this comment and kept my eyes on my plate of waffles. 

"Speak of the devil," Kayla commented after a moment, "Here he comes now with the Geek Squad." 

The Geek Squad was what we used to call our brothers and Cale when we were younger. We didn't use it much now and I didn't know what possessed Kayla to use it on this occasion. I looked up quickly and saw that they had just entered the cafeteria, among giggles and flirtatious hellos from the female population. As my eyes fell on Vaughn, my stomach did a flip and felt like a thousand butterflies were doing ballet inside. _What in the name of Hyne is wrong with me?_ I thought as I felt a slight blush color my cheeks. 

"Hey Kaisa," Kayla called, "you okay?" 

I snapped my head up. "Yeah, I'm fine, why?" 

"I don't know," Kayla replied, "You just looked kinda…off, I guess. You're not getting sick are you?" 

"I don't feel sick," I assured and turned back to my breakfast, discouraging any further questions. _What is wrong with me?_ I asked myself again. _I thought it was the champagne that was making me feel all funny last night. It has to be out of my system now, so what's my excuse for what just happened?_

_**Perhaps you are falling for this boy you call Vaughn,**_ a voice spoke in my head. I flinched as if I'd been struck. 

"Who said that?" I asked aloud. 

Kayla stared at me like I was crazy. "Who said what?" 

I realized that what had been said was only in my head and I smiled awkwardly. "Nothing, never mind." 

Kayla continued to eye me. "Are you sure you're okay?" 

"Fine," I assured quickly but in fact I was beginning to doubt my own sanity. 

_**You are not crazy,**_ the voice spoke again, _**It is I, Mistress, Ember.**_

"Ember?" I repeated out loud. 

"What?" Kayla was beginning to look worried. 

"It's Ember," I told her, "she's talking to me." I paused and my brow crinkled in confusion. "Can she do that?" 

"I guess so," Kayla shrugged, though she looked skeptical. 

"Has Blayze talked to you?" I asked. 

"No," Kayla admitted. 

"Maybe I am going nuts," I sighed. 

_**You are definitely sane Mistress, I assure you.**_

"Are you sure?" I inquired of the GF. Kayla stared at me like I had completely lost it. 

_**Positive**_ Ember assured in my head. _**And just so you know, Mistress, you do not need to address me out loud. You can just think if you want to talk to me. I can hear your thoughts.**_

_That's wonderful,_ I thought, _You can hear everything that goes on in my head?_

_**Yes, which is why I think that you might have feelings for this 'Vaughn' man.**_

_Ugh! I don't like Vaughn!_

_**You are getting agitated Mistress. Perhaps we should continue this talk later.**_

_Ya think?_

With that, the GF fell silent and I focused on Kayla again, who was staring at me intently. 

"I think you should go and see Dr. Kadowaki," Kayla insisted, "You just completely zoned out a few seconds ago." 

"I didn't zone out," I snapped, still irritated by Ember's insinuations, "I was talking to Ember." 

"Okay." Kayla held her hands up in a defensive posture, then returned them to her fork and continued eating. Neither of us said much more through breakfast and we were just getting ready to leave when the intercom came to life. 

"Kaisa Almasy, please report to the Quad for your clean-up duty. I repeat, Kaisa Almasy, please report to the Quad for your clean-up duty." 

The intercom fell silent and I cursed as I stood up. "Damn you Mom." 

"Hey, wait up!" Kayla called as I stalked towards the exit. I stopped and waited for her to catch up. "I'll come with you." 

"Why?" I asked in surprise, "You aren't the one being punished." 

"We're friends," Kayla smiled, "And friends help each other out, remember?" 

"I can't ask you to help," I told her. 

"You didn't ask," she insisted, "I volunteered. Now let's go." 

The two of us left the cafeteria and made our way to the Quad, where my mother was waiting for me. She grinned as we approached. 

"Good morning Kaisa," she greeted with a smirk, "So glad you could make it." 

"Hello mother," I sneered. 

"Hi Aunt Quisty!" Kayla chirped, obviously unaware of the tension between us. 

"What are you doing here, Kayla?" my mom asked. 

"I came to help Kaisa," she explained. 

"Kaisa can handle this on her own," my mother assured and gave me a dirty look as if she thought I had asked Kayla to come. 

"I want to help," Kayla insisted with a smile. 

"All right," my mother agreed after a moment. "Because of our failure at FH yesterday, Cid has approved another SeeD group to go in and take care of business. Squall is in charge and I am second in command. We are taking your parents, Kayla, Cammi, Zell, Rinoa, Fujin, Raijin, and your father." She looked at me. "So I won't be here to supervise your clean up. Luckily, I got someone to fill in for me and I know that he'll make sure the place is spotless before he let's you go." 

"Oh no," I groaned as I realized who she meant. 

"There he is now," my mother commented and looked behind us. "Luke! Come here!" 

My brother walked up to us, with Cale and Vaughn in tow. He smirked superiorly. 

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite little sister," he joked, "Have fun cleaning. I know I'll have fun watching." 

I turned back to my mom. "Why are you doing this to me?" 

"You need to control your anger," my mother informed, "Your father couldn't when he was your age and it got him into all kinds of trouble. I don't want to see you end up making the wrong choices like he did." 

"But he turned out okay," I whined, trying to get her to cut me a little slack. 

"Eventually yes, but no child of mine is going to be a screw-up, understood?" 

"Better disown Luke then," I mumbled. 

"Excuse me?" my mom demanded. 

"I said 'yes'," I lied, "I understand." 

"Good." She turned to Luke. "I want you to make sure she works hard and cleans up her share but don't overdo it or you'll have your father on you in no time." 

"I'm not afraid of him," Luke told her, which was a lie. 

"I mean it," she warned him. "The two of you better be good." 

"Don't worry Aunt Quistis," Cale grinned, "We'll keep them in line." 

Luke and I both shot poisonous glares over at the shorter blonde. The smile faded from his face and he looked away quickly. 

"We'll be back tonight or tomorrow hopefully," my mom informed. She hugged me and Luke, who stiffened and tried to act cool, then she was gone down the Quad hallway. 

"So, let's get started, shall we?" Luke grinned. 

I glared at him and entered the Quad. The others followed. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Three and a half hours of strenuous cleaning later, Kayla and I had cleaned up the entire Quad and left it looking like it always had before, empty. I kept thanking Hyne for Kayla's help, as limited as it was from the crutches, because without her I probably would've been there all day. Even Cale and Vaughn pitched in occasionally when their egos wouldn't let us little girls carry something heavy, like the tables. Neither of us complained and we let them indulge their prides. 

After the work was completed, Kayla and I headed back to our dorms to rest while the guys went to "find some hot chicks" as they put it. I couldn't figure out why, but the thought of them out whoring around really ticked me off. 

After I got back to my room, I laid down on my bed and tried to fall asleep but I couldn't. Images of the conversation between my parents and me at the SeeD ball kept flashing through my mind, along with the weird feelings and the conversation with Ember that I'd had about Vaughn. Finally, after several failed attempts at sleep, I decided to blow off some steam at the training center. 

I left my room and debated on whether to get Kayla or Tal. I decided against, since neither one of them was in the condition to be fighting. I walked down the corridor to the main hall and went left past the parking lot to the Training Center. Because it was still early in the day, most cadets were in classes and SeeDs usually went out on the plains or into the forests to train, rather than in the Training Center. As a result, I was the only one there when I entered. Good. No one to get in my way. 

I made my way deeper into the surrounding trees until I was attacked by two shrieking Grats. I smirked evilly and then slashed them to bits with my Sais. Low-level Grats never stood a chance against an Almasy. After I finished with the first group, I fought my way through several others, gradually making my way deeper into the TC. Because the Grats were so weak, I hadn't healed myself as I progressed. I wanted to try out my new Limit Break, Ultrawaves, anyway and I didn't have any Aura magic at my disposal. 

After drawing my fill of Sleep and Silence spells, I realized that I'd have to wait all day for the Grats to hurt me enough so that I could use my Limit Break. I decided I'd had enough training and was heading back through the trees when the earsplitting roar of a T-Rexaur sliced through the air behind me. I felt my heartbeat quicken as I turned to gauge the distance between me and the beast. All SeeDs were taught that it was better to run from a T-Rexaur than engage in battle, especially if you were alone. Not wanting to end up lunch for the hungry lizard, I dashed towards the exit. 

Behind me, I could hear the huge dinosaur crashing through the trees but I figured I could make it to the exit before it caught me. Suddenly, a second T-Rexaur loomed out of the foliage in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. It roared and the one behind me roared back. They were working as a team and had set up a trap for me. Great. One T-Rexaur was bad enough but two?! I was as good as dead. 

I stood still in between the two huge lizards and tried to remain calm, although my heart felt like it was going to leap out of my chest and run away. Not that I would blame it. As I stood, eyeing them, the T-Rexaurs began to circle me in a determined pattern. Because they were so large, they managed to circle at a distance while never leaving me an opportunity to escape. Every time they made their revolution, they crowded in closer until they were no more than twenty feet away. 

Knowing that I had no choice but to fight, I clutched my Sais tightly and rushed at the closest monster. Of course, it saw me coming and tried to snap at me but I rolled out of the way just in time and managed to slash one of it's eyes. The beast roared in pain and swung it's head at me, knocking me to the ground. Before I could even get up, the other one was on me, trying to take a bite out of my leg. I kicked it hard in the snout and rolled away as it brought a massive foot down to pin me to the ground. I jumped to my feet and managed to summon Ember on the wounded lizard while I cast a Blizzard spell on the other. It was a fact that T-Rexaurs were weak against Ice magic but a low level Blizzard spell barely even fazed the beast and it swung it's tail at me. I dodged most of it, but the tip caught my leg, sweeping them out from under me. I crashed to the ground on my back and saw the dripping jaws of the monster closing in on me. 

Suddenly, a gunshot echoed through the TC and the monster above me reeled back. It roared in pain and turned away from me as another shot sounded. The other lizard's attention was drawn to the newcomer as well, giving me the chance to regain my feet and to cast a Cura on myself. Once I was healed, I got a chance to look at my rescuer. I wasn't surprised to see none other than Vaughn Kinneas. 

"You okay?" he called to me as he fired another shot at the T-Rexaurs. 

"Yeah," I assured and hurried over to help him in the battle. Because there were two of the fell beasts instead of one, the battle took longer than normal, but in the end, we emerged victorious. After the last dinosaur had fallen, Vaughn gathered up the items left behind and held them out to me. 

I refused to take them. "They're yours. All I did was try to stay alive." 

"This was your battle," Vaughn insisted, "I shouldn't have interfered." He held out the Dino Bones to me. 

I shook my head. "If you hadn't, I'd be dead." 

"Tell you what," he compromised, "How about we split them, 50/50?" 

I thought for a second. "Okay." 

Vaughn smiled and gave me half the Dino Bones, which I slipped into the pocket of my jeans. 

"So," Vaughn started as we headed towards the TC exit, "What are you doing in here by yourself?" 

"I needed to blow off some steam," I shrugged. 

"About what?" 

I didn't answer. What was I supposed to tell him? That I had been thinking about him since last night and was totally frustrated by it? I don't think so. He'd think I was in love with him or something, which I definitely wasn't. 

"Come on," he urged, "You can tell me." 

"It's nothing, really." 

"Does it have something to do with the little scene that your parents made last night?" 

My eyes went wide at the mention of the very thing that was bugging me. It was like he was psychic! 

"Bingo!" he chuckled when he saw the reaction on my face. After a second, the smile faded and he got serious. "Look, don't let it bug you. I know you don't like me like that. You're one of the few women in this Garden that isn't stupid enough to fall for the Kinneas Charm and I respect you for that." 

"Thanks," I mumbled then quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of the Kinneas Charm, I thought you, Luke and Cale were looking for 'hot chicks', as you called them?" 

We stepped into the Training Center hallway and Vaughn halted, a grin on his face. "I found one didn't I?" 

I gaped at him, not sure what to say. Apparently my reaction amused him, because he laughed. 

"See ya later Almasy." Vaughn waved and then disappeared back into the main hall of the Garden. 

I stood there in front of the TC for a few minutes, trying to comprehend what had just happened, until a voice spoke in my head. 

_**He's quite the charmer.**_

I sighed out loud. _Are you back?_

_**You sound disappointed.**_

_Me? No, never._

_**I must admit, Mistress, I don't appreciate your sarcasm.**_

_Sorry Ember, I'm just having a really weird day._

_**I can't profess to understand your human emotions, but I really think that you like this Vaughn boy.**_

_Please, let's not start with that again._

_**My apologies, Mistress.**_

With that, Ember fell silent and I headed back to my dorm room. 

------------------------------------------------ 

"Hey Tal!" Kayla called and waved as Tal entered the cafeteria. 

"Ugh!" Tal groaned and dropped into the seat next to Kayla. He cradled his head in his hands. "Not so loud, my head is killing me!" 

"Not fast enough," I teased and he glared at me with watery, bloodshot eyes. 

"Not funny." 

"Maybe next time you should go easy on the booze," I suggested. 

"Ya think?" 

"Hey Tal," Kayla piped in, "You want some lunch?" She offered him a few fries and half of her club sandwich. 

"Oh Hyne!" Tal murmured and ran to a trashcan, where he puked up what little remained in his stomach. A nearby table of girls shouted in disgust and turned away as Tal pulled his head out of the basket and returned to our table. 

"I guess that's a no," Kayla surmised as Tal sat down again. 

"I'm never drinking again," he swore and put his head down on the table. 

After my little run in with Vaughn at the Training Center, I had gone back to my room to read for a while. At lunchtime, Kayla had knocked on my door and we had come to the cafeteria together. We hadn't bothered to find Tal because we figured he'd still be sleeping. 

Luckily, Vaughn, Cale and Luke had gone into Balamb for lunch so I was spared the embarrassment of seeing him. As Kayla and I continued to eat our lunches and Tal groaned softly into his arms, Raine Leonhart, Gavin, Morgan and Kitara Dincht came up to our table. 

"Hey guys!" Kayla greeted. Her incessant cheeriness reminded everyone of her mother. 

"Hey!" the Dincht's greeted. Raine merely nodded and with a sly grin sat next to her brother. 

"Hey Tal," Raine sneered, "Heard you had a little too much to drink last night." 

"Go away," Tal grumbled into his arms. 

"Is that any way to talk to your baby sister?" she questioned with mock hurt. "I know, why don't I get you some lunch? You know, help you out?" 

"Shut up Raine," Tal growled. 

"What do you want to eat?" Raine persisted, "Maybe a hamburger? Or some meatloaf? Or maybe a big pile of mashed potatoes with gravy poured all over them? Hmm?" 

"Dammit!" Tal jumped from the table again and returned to the trashcan with Raine's laughter following behind him. 

While the siblings had talked, the rest of us watched but as soon as Tal jumped from the table, we continued with our own conversations. 

"So Kit," I started, addressing the youngest of the Dincht children, "Have you decided on a weapon yet?" 

"Yep," Kit smiled, "I'm for sure gonna use the Bo." 

"Cool," I agreed. "If you never need any help training or anything, you can always ask me." 

"Thanks Kaisa!" she exclaimed. Kit was the youngest of my "cousins" and I loved her to death. She was such a cute kid. I'd do anything for her. She was like having a little sister of my own, except she didn't bug the crap out of me. 

"We'd better get going," Morgan commented as Tal slumped back into his chair, "We've got magic class in a few minutes." 

"And I've got to get back to the library and finish putting books on the shelves," Kit said. Her mother was the overseer of the library and Kit helped her more often than not. 

"Okay," I said, "See you guys around." 

"Okay," the Dincht's agreed. Raine stood up and joined them. 

"Congratulations on passing your exam," Gavin cheered. 

"Thanks," Kayla and me called as they left. Tal mumbled something unintelligible to the table. 

"See ya later bro," Raine grinned, "Hope you feel better." 

"Die," Tal whispered fiercely. Once the younger kids were gone, Kayla and I threw away our trash, careful to avoid Tal's can, and the three of us left the cafeteria. Once we were back in the main hall, Kayla spoke. 

"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed, as if she had just remembered something, "I wanted to ask you something Kai. Where were you after we came back from cleaning up the Quad?" 

"In my room," I answered, "Why?" 

"Because I called your room and you didn't answer," she explained. 

"Oh, I went to the Training Center for a little while," I admitted. The memory of the experience popped up in my mind and I couldn't help but blush. 

Kayla, seeing the pink on my cheeks, grinned. "Ooo, did you happen to run into a certain gorgeous SeeD?" 

"No," I assured, knowing she was talking about Tristen. 

"Then why the blush?" she persisted. 

I proceeded to tell her and Tal about the T-Rexaurs but left out the part about Vaughn. I told them that I had managed to escape before things got too bad. 

"Wow," Kayla murmured, "That's crazy. It's a good thing you weren't hurt." 

"Yeah," I agreed but my thoughts were on Vaughn. _Dammit! Stop thinking about him!_

"Are you sure that's all that happened?" Tal spoke for the first time. "I know getting trapped by T-Rexaurs can be embarrassing, especially now that we're SeeDs, but your attitude tells me that you're not telling us the whole story." 

"Come on Tal," I started, trying to sound nonchalant, "What would I be hiding? And besides, would I lie to you guys?" 

"I guess not," Tal agreed. 

I nodded, but felt terrible. They were my best friends and I had just lied to their faces. I felt lower than a hibernating Sandworm. 

_**Love makes you do crazy things.**_

_Shut up Ember!_

-------------------------------------------------- 

The rest of the day was spent inside my dorm room, talking about various things and trying to make Tal throw up again. He resisted tenaciously and in the end, our ploy failed. It was just as well because I didn't want him throwing up all over my bathroom. 

At dinner, Tal decided to brave a small salad and a bottle of water, while Kayla and I had baked chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. Tal held his dinner down and said he felt better. In the middle of the meal, Kayla brought up something that we had talked about at breakfast, when Tal wasn't with us. 

"So Kaisa," Kayla started, "Has Ember talked to you again?" 

"Yes," I replied, although I had the distinct feeling that she was teasing me about it. 

"Really?" Kayla grinned, "What did she say?" 

"She said, 'That best friend of yours is really a twit,'" I joked. 

"Hey!" Kayla pouted, "That's not funny!" 

"Ember talks to you?" Tal questioned seriously. 

"Yeah," I agreed, "Why?" 

"I thought I was the only one." 

"What do you mean?" I prodded. 

"Aquarius talks to me all the time," Tal informed. 

"Why didn't you tell us?" I inquired. 

He smiled sheepishly. "I thought you guys would think I was nuts." 

"That's what Kayla thinks," I told him. 

"Both of your GFs talk to you?" Kayla whined, "Why won't Blayze talk to me?" 

_**Perhaps if she shut up long enough to listen, she would hear Blayze.**_

I laughed out loud at Ember's remark. 

"What's so funny?" Kayla demanded. 

"Nothing," I assured with a grin, "Don't worry about it." 

After dinner, the three of us headed back to the dorms. Our parents hadn't returned from their mission. Likewise, our brothers hadn't returned from their lunch in Balamb. 

"I wonder where those idiots are," Kayla commented, referring to our brothers, not our parents. 

"No clue," I said. 

"They probably shacked up with some Balamb whores," Kayla stated disgustedly. 

Tal sighed forlornly. "I wish they'd take me with them." 

Kayla promptly smacked him in the back of the head. 

"Ow!" he howled, "What was that for?" 

"What do you think?" she questioned. 

"Geez," Tal groaned, "I'm sorry." 

"You should be," Kayla insisted. 

I laughed at my friend's display. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think Kayla was your girlfriend, Tal." 

Tal blushed and Kayla's mouth dropped open. Both of them quickly denied anything of the sort, which was odd. Usually they would make faces of disgust at each other and act like they were dying at the mere thought of being together. _What is going on around here?_

_**Perhaps you aren't the only one who is in love.**_

_Ugh! I'm not in love with anyone, least of all Vaughn!_

_**Forgive me, Mistress, I forgot you are still in denial.**_

_Watch it._

Ember voice faded and I focused on my friends, who were still denying their feelings for each other. 

"Okay, I believe you," I insisted, still a little irritable because of Ember. They both fell silent and we finished our trip to the dorms without a word. We all said goodnight to one another and made our way to our separate dorms. 

I laid in bed for awhile, reading, before I began to drift off. My last thought before sleep claimed me was "Why haven't our parents come back yet?" 

-------------------------------------------------------------- 

The next morning, I was awakened by the ringing of my telephone. Every SeeD had a private line in his or her room and this was the first time I had heard mine ring. I looked at the clock and saw that it read 0549 hours. Grumbling about being awakened so early, I picked up the receiver. 

"Hello?" 

"Kaisa?" 

"Yes?" The person on the other end sounded like my mother. 

"Kaisa, this is your mother," she confirmed, "We're on our way back to Balamb right now. I wanted to let you know and also to tell you not to step foot outside the Garden until we return. Tell Kayla, Tal and the younger Dincht's. Make sure Tal tells Raine as well. I've been trying to get a hold of your brother but I can't reach him." 

"I don't think he came back from Balamb last night," I informed, my mind still fuzzy with sleep, "Mom, what's going on?" 

"I don't have time to explain right now," she insisted, "Just follow my orders. We'll be back soon." With that, she hung up. 

I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it in confusion, then returned it to the cradle. What was my mother talking about? Don't leave the Garden? Why? I decided that I'd better follow her instructions and after a quick trip to the bathroom, I called Kayla. 

She answered on the fifth ring. "Hello?" She sounded as groggy as I had felt a few minutes ago. Now, after my mother's call, I was wide awake. 

"Hi Kay, it's Kaisa." 

"Kaisa?" Kayla repeated sleepily. 

"Listen," I instructed in a stern tone, hopefully grabbing her attention, "I just got a call from my mom. She said they're on their way back to Balamb." 

"Oh good," Kayla commented. 

"There's more," I continued before she could hang up, "She ordered me not to leave the Garden and told me to pass the message on to you, Tal and the Dincht's." 

"Don't leave the Garden?" Kayla repeated in question form, "Why?" 

"I don't know," I admitted, "she said she didn't have time to explain but that they would be here soon." 

"Do you think something happened?" she inquired and I could tell now that she was fully awake. 

"I don't know, but I think we better obey." 

"I think so too," she agreed, "Do you want me to call Tal for you?" 

"Yeah," I nodded, even though she couldn't see me, "I'm going to call Morgan and let her know. She can relay the message to Gavin and Kit. And make sure you tell Tal to let Raine know what's going on." 

"I will," she promised and hung up. 

I hung up as well and opened the bottom drawer of my nightstand to fish out my Garden phone directory. Every member of Garden is given a directory of phone numbers that are important to Garden. The book also includes the private extension for every room and who is in the room. The book is updated once a year after the SeeD exams. Since the SeeD exam was only two days ago, the new directories hadn't been passed out yet but it didn't matter because I knew Morgan hadn't changed rooms since the last directory was handed out. I turned to the Ds and ran my finger down the page until I came to Dincht. I found Morgan's number and dialed it quickly. 

"Hello?" a sleepy girl's voice came over the line. 

"Morgan?" 

"Yes." 

"This is Kaisa Almasy," I told her, although my first name would've been sufficient. 

"Kaisa? Is something wrong?" She was obviously puzzled as to why I would call her, especially so early in the morning. 

"I don't know," I admitted, "but listen. I just got a call from my mother. They're on their way back from FH but she instructed me not to leave the Garden under any circumstances. She wanted me to relay the message to you and your siblings." 

"Is everything okay?" She sounded worried. 

"I don't know, my mother didn't explain anything to me. Could you pass the info along to your brother and sister?" 

"Yeah," she agreed, "sure, no problem." 

"Thanks." I hung up. 

After the urgent phone calls, my mind began to wander back to the conversation that I'd had with my mother over the phone. At the time, I had been sleepy but now that I was wide awake; I realized that she had sounded nervous on the phone, almost scared. A shudder ran through me. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen my mother scared. I had the feeling something life-changing had happened in FH and it was only going to get worse. 

_**Perhaps it's nothing. There's no need to get worked up about it until you know for sure something is wrong.**_

_You're right. Thanks Ember._

_**You are most welcome.**_

After the short conversation with Ember, I decided that I couldn't just sit around in my room or I'd go crazy so I decided to get dressed and go next door to Kayla's. As I dressed, I tried to think of something that would scare my mother. Nothing had ever scared her that I'd seen. As I pulled my shoes on, a sudden thought hit me. What if something happened to my dad? That was the only conceivable thing I could think of that would scare my mom and I was nearly in tears when I arrived at Kayla's room. 

"Kaisa!" Kayla greeted, and she sounded relieved. She noticed the distress on my face and immediately, the worry returned. "Kaisa, what's wrong?" 

"I-I th-think some-thing happ-ened to m-my d-d-dad," I stammered and the tears began to fall as Kayla pulled me into her room and shut the door. She led me over to the bed, hopping on her good foot, and we both sat down. I buried my face in my hands and continued to cry. 

"What makes you think that something happened to your dad?" Kayla asked gently while rubbing my back. 

"W-why else w-would my m-mom be s-scared?" I sobbed. 

"I'm sure there's plenty of reasons," Kayla comforted. 

"Like w-what?" 

"Well," Kayla started, "Maybe the FFFH guys got that stupid machine thing fixed already and they had to run from it. Or maybe a sea monster was attacking their boat . Or…who knows, maybe Luke called and told her he got some whore in Balamb pregnant." 

I laughed through my tears at the last one and took a shuddering breath. "That would definitely explain why she didn't want anyone to leave the Garden. She wouldn't want us to see her kill her only son." 

"See?" Kayla smiled, "If something was wrong with your dad, why would she tell us to stay in the Garden? There's gotta be some other explanation." 

"I guess so," I agreed, but in the back of my mind, I still feared for my father's safety. 

I had barely managed to wipe the tears off my face when there was a knock at Kayla's door. She hopped over to it and opened it to reveal Tal. 

"What is going on?" he asked. When he saw that I had been crying, his eyes widened with fear. "Oh Hyne, what happened?" 

"Nothing," I assured him, "Well, at least I don't think anything happened. I really don't know." 

"Then why were you crying?" he demanded. 

"Kaisa thought maybe something had happened to her dad," Kayla explained, "but after discussing it, we realized that didn't make sense with her mother's order to stay inside." 

I could see that Tal visibly relaxed when he heard this and I figured he had been thinking the same thing as me, except about his own parents. He sat down on the bed next to Kayla and me. "So, what do you think is going on?" 

"I have no idea," I admitted, "It doesn't make sense. Why would she tell us not to leave the Garden? What could she be so afraid of?" 

The SeeD party from FH arrived twenty minutes later and still we had no idea as to what the warning was all about. When we figured they would be arriving soon, the three of us went down to the main gate to wait for them. We were soon joined by the Dincht twins, Kit and Raine Leonhart. After about ten minutes of waiting, we heard them approaching and ran out the gate to greet them. 

The second I saw my dad was unhurt, I ran to him and threw myself into his arms. He looked down at me with a confused smile and hugged me back as I bawled into his blue vest like a baby. 

"Kaisa, what's wrong?" he asked and stroked my hair. 

"I-I thought you were dead!" I cried and held onto him for dead life. 

"Why would you think that?" 

I forced myself to stop crying and after wiping the tears away, I looked up at him. "When Mom called, she sounded really scared and I couldn't think of anything that would scare her except you being hurt." 

"Good job Quisty," my dad joked, "You managed to scare the Hell out of them." 

"They needed to be scared so they'd follow my directions," my mother insisted. 

"What's going on?" Kayla asked. She was in between her dad and mom. 

"Yeah," Tal agreed. He was standing with his sister near his parents. "We've been trying to figure out what's going on, but we keep coming up blank." 

"We'll explain it to you as soon as we can," his mom promised, "but right now, we have an urgent meeting with the Headmaster." 

"Oh, you're kidding," I sighed, "We've been worried out of our minds and you're not gonna tell us?" 

"After the meeting," my mom assured, "We shouldn't be too long. And make sure if you see your brother that you tell him he's forbidden to leave the Garden until I see him." 

"That goes for Vaughn as well," Aunt Selphie told Kayla. 

"And Cale," Aunt Cammi added. 

We agreed and the group of SeeDs went towards the elevators, leaving us standing by the front gate. Once they had disappeared into the elevator car, we turned to each other. 

"They all looked really freaked out," Kit Dincht commented. 

"Really," Morgan agreed, "What could be going on?" 

"I don't know, but it's gotta be bad," I said. 

"I don't like this at all," Raine admitted. 

"Me neither," Tal stated. 

"What could possibly scare all of them like that?" Kayla wondered. 

An image of my father's face floated up in my mind. In his green eyes, I had seen the fear of whatever it was they needed to tell us. If my mom's fear had scared me, my dad's terrified me and I didn't even want to be this close to the front of the Garden, where anything could enter at any time. 

"Hey guys," I suggested, "why don't we go back to the dorms or something instead of just standing around here?" 

They all looked at me for a second, then quickly agreed. We were making our way back to the dorms when we ran into Vaughn. 

"What are you guys all doing together?" he asked. 

"What are you doing here?" Kayla inquired, "We thought you were still in Balamb." 

"Where's Luke and Cale?" I questioned. 

"Still in Balamb as far as I know," Vaughn answered. 

"You came back without them?" Kayla asked in disbelief. 

"Yeah, last night." 

"Why?" I asked, before I could stop myself. 

"Well, we were hanging out with these girls at a bar…" he began. 

_Hyne, why did I ask?_

_**Don't worry Mistress. You don't like him so nothing he says about girls and bars can affect you, right?**_

_Excuse me, but last time I checked, you weren't Hyne._

_**My mistake.**_

"And we were all drinking a lot," Vaughn continued, "And I don't know, I just wasn't feeling them, so I came back here." 

Kayla, Tal and I stared at him in disbelief. 

"You turned down drunk chicks?" Tal asked, as if this were a mortal sin. 

Ignoring him, Kayla spoke as well. "I thought booze and bitches were your life." 

"Ladies and alcohol," Vaughn corrected, "and I am interested in other things you know." 

"Oh right," I added sarcastically, "shooting." 

"Damn straight," he grinned. "So anyway, what's going on?" 

"Everyone just got back from FH," Kayla informed, "Aunt Quisty called Kaisa this morning and told her not to leave the Garden under any circumstances. When they got back a few minutes ago, they all looked scared out of their minds and said they were going to talk to the Headmaster before they explained to us what's going on." 

Vaughn pondered her words for a moment. "So, where are you headed right now?" 

"Back to the dorms to wait," I answered. For some reason, I felt safe in my room. 

"Well, okay," Vaughn agreed, "Let's go." 

I looked at him warily. "You're coming too?" 

"Sure, why not?" 

The thought of him in my room made me uneasy and I shuddered to think what my dad would do if he found out. Realizing there was nothing I could say to deter him without revealing some things I didn't even admit to myself, I nodded and we made our way to my dorm. 

Because the dorms are relatively small, it was a tight squeeze to get all eight of us in there. Once inside, it was even harder to find places to sit. Me, Kayla and Tal sat on my bed, the Dincht's took seats on the floor and Raine slumped down in the one chair my room housed. After everyone else was seated, Vaughn came and flopped down onto the end of the bed, causing us all to scoot over a little. He slouched on the bed next to me, his head against the wall and his feet on the floor. _Dear Hyne_, I prayed, _please don't let my dad be the one who comes looking for us._

Once everyone had found a comfortable place to sit, we were all silent as we brooded about our parents' actions upon arrival this morning. Finally, Vaughn broke the silence. 

"Why do all of you look so scared?" he inquired, "Whatever is going on, we can handle it. We're SeeDs, right?" 

"Not all of us," Raine reminded. The Dincht's nodded in agreement. 

"Well, we're all fighters then," Vaughn amended. 

"I'm not," Kit whimpered, "I've barely had any combat training at all." 

I leaned forward and put a comforting hand on the little girl's shoulder. She was sitting with her back against the side of my bed, next to Vaughn's legs. "Don't worry Kit. We'll protect you if it comes to that. You're one of us, remember?" 

The girl nodded and her sister Morgan, who sat across from her on the floor, continued to whisper comforting words to the frightened girl. 

"Besides," Kayla added, "You didn't see Mom and Dad's faces when they got back. They were scared and that's a good enough reason for me to be _terrified_." She was sitting in the top left corner of my bed with her knees drawn up under her chin and her arms around her legs. She looked like a scared little girl. 

In front of Kayla, my back against the wall that Vaughn's head was resting on, I remembered the look of fear in my father's eyes and my mother's frightened tone on the phone. Without warning, a fit of shivers coursed through my body. 

"You okay?" Vaughn asked and sat up when he felt me trembling. "Hey, don't tell me the Almighty Almasy is scared too." 

"Damn right I'm scared," I told him, "When I talked to my dad this morning, I saw fear in his eyes. FEAR. My dad was afraid. I…Oh Hyne, I can't even imagine something that would scare my dad. I've never seen him afraid of anything. Kayla's right. If something has scared our parents like that, we should be terrified." 

Suddenly, the intercom on the wall, identical to the ones in every dorm room, rang it's bells and then spoke. "Attention everyone, would Raven Leonhart please report to the Headmaster's office. I repeat, Raven Leonhart please report to the Headmaster's office." 

The intercom fell silent but we all stared at it expectantly. 

Finally, Raine broke the silence. "Raven? Why would they call Raven to the Headmaster's office?" 

"That was Matron on the intercom wasn't it?" Tal asked. Everyone nodded. "Why would they call Raven but not the rest of us?" 

"Something really weird is going on here," Gavin commented and the rest of us were quick to agree. 

After the announcement from the intercom and the short conversation following it, we fell silent again, waiting for our parents to come and get us or for another announcement to take place. We waited for about five minutes before my telephone rang. I leaned forward to answer it but Vaughn beat me to it. 

"I'll do it," he insisted and picked up the receiver. "Hello?" 

From the phone, a very familiar voice floated out. "Kinneas? Is that you?" 

"Yes," Vaughn answered, "Who is this?" 

"What the Hell are you doing in my little girl's room?!" 

"Uh oh," Tal grinned. 

"Uh…" Vaughn stammered, "nothing sir. We're just uh…" 

"I'll kill you Kinneas!" 

"Give me the phone!" I demanded and snatched the receiver from a still stuttering Vaughn. "Daddy?" 

"What the Hell is that pervert Kinneas doing in your room?!" 

"Calm down Daddy," I insisted, "We're all here waiting for you." 

"Why is he there? I thought he was in Balamb with your brother and Chicken-wuss' kid." 

In the background, I could hear my Uncle Zell cursing my father. "So did we," I assured, "He came back last night without them and we ran into him this morning on the way back to the dorms." 

"Who's there with you besides him?" 

"Everyone." 

"For his sake, you better not be lying to me," my dad stated, "Because if you're alone there with him, I'll rip his guts out and…" 

I put my hand over the mouthpiece and pulled the phone away from my ear, cutting off my father's threats. "He doesn't believe that the rest of you are here. Just say hi so he'll believe me, okay?" 

I uncovered the mouthpiece and the others shouted hi towards the phone. Once they were done with their greeting, I put the phone back up to my ear. "Satisfied?" 

There was a moment of silence, then, "I guess." 

"Good, now what did you call for?" I inquired, "I'm sure it wasn't to threaten Vaughn." 

"We're done with the meeting," he informed, "meet us in your mother's classroom." 

"Okay." I hung up the receiver and turned to the others. "He said they're done with the meeting and that we should meet them in my mom's classroom." 

Everyone stood up and we filed out the door and to the elevators. It was barely after 6:00 o' clock in the morning and their weren't many people up, but a few cadets and SeeDs had started their day early and were combing the halls. They looked at the group of us strangely as we headed towards the elevator. Because our group was so large, we had to split up into two groups. The Dincht's and Raine went up first and the rest of us followed. After we had all stepped off the elevator cab into the second floor hallway, we made our way, once again as a group, to my mom's classroom. 

Inside, our parents, Aunt Fujin, Uncle Raijin, Raven and Tristen were crowded at the front of the room. They all looked up as we entered. The first thing I noticed was that the fear in their eyes remained and I shuddered as a chill raced down my spine. 

"Have a seat," my mother instructed and we all sat down at the desks. Once we were seated, my mother began to speak. 

"As you all know, we had a mission in FH yesterday," she began. We all nodded, half numb with the terror of what we were about to find out. "When we arrived in FH, we saw that the FFFH faction had gathered more troops in order to make a last ditch effort to protect their cause. We engaged in battle and were winning when…" 

She trailed off and she looked over at my dad. Their eyes locked for a split second and he looked away quickly, a shudder of his own visible. Finding no help there, she turned to Uncle Squall, who nodded and took up the narrative. 

"We had the upper hand over the FFFH," Squall continued, "But we were ambushed this morning by a new enemy. She was obviously the one behind the attack on the Mayor and the FFFH were working under her orders. She attacked and we were forced to retreat and return to the Garden. We were afraid that she might follow us, which is why Quistis called and told all of you to stay inside the Garden until we returned. Luckily, she didn't follow us, but we might still be in danger. We think it's a good idea if…" 

Vaughn interrupted Squall's monologue. "She? She who?" 

My mother seemed to have found her voice during Squall's speech and she answered. "A new sorceress," she informed, "Sorceress Lantana." 

--------------------------------- 

A/N: A lantana is a flower.


	6. Trabia

**Chapter 6: Trabia**

The silence in the classroom was so complete, if someone had been of the mind to drop a pin, it would've been heard as it hit the ground. Our parents were still gathered in front of us at my mother's desk, Tristen and Raven were huddled together in a corner and the rest of us just stared as if we had been frozen. Even after all the terrible things we had thought of that could explain what had so worried our parents, we weren't even close to ready for this revelation. Finally, I broke the silence. 

"Sorceress?" I choked out, "A new sorceress?" 

My mother nodded. "Yes." 

"Holy shit," Vaughn whispered. 

"Wha…" I started, but couldn't think of the words, "How? Why?" 

"We assume that her powers were dormant until recently," my mother answered. 

"She's the one who led the attack on FH?" Tal asked. 

Squall nodded. "We don't have much information, but we assume that when her powers awakened, she decided to use them for one evil purpose or another. Why she chose to take over FH is a mystery to us, but we hope to find out soon." 

Those of us sitting at the desks all looked at each other as we once again fell silent. None of us had any idea what to say. We had never had to deal with a sorceress threat. The last one had been over twenty years ago and now here we were, come full circle. This was insane. 

"What do you plan to do about her?" Raine inquired. 

"Well," Squall replied, "First of all, we're going to put the Garden on the move. The sorceress knew who we were in FH and we think she might come here to attack us. If we stay on the move, she'll have a harder time finding us. We also want to warn the other Gardens, so as soon as all SeeDs have returned; we're heading to Trabia. We'll work on our strategy later. The main thing right now is keeping Garden and it's occupants safe." 

I glanced over at Kayla and saw that her face had paled dramatically since we'd entered the classroom. I wouldn't have been shocked if my face wasn't as pale or worse. This was some crazy stuff they were laying on us and just because we're SeeDs doesn't mean that we're not afraid. Evil sorceresses mean bad news. 

"If you guys don't have any more questions," my mother spoke, "you're free to go, but under no circumstances are you to leave the Garden. We'll be on the move within the hour." 

All of us stood up, almost in unison, and stiffly made our way to the door. I looked around and felt like I was walking with a crowd of zombies. To be truthful, I felt like a zombie so I guess I fit right in. A new sorceress. I didn't even know how to react to that. I was scared, definitely, but I was also half numb. 

As the group of us made our way to the elevator, we remained silent. Without a word, the eight of us split into two groups of four and rode down to the first floor. Kayla, Tal, Vaughn and I went down second and when we exited, the Dincht's and Raven were already walking back towards the dorms. 

When we stepped out of the elevator cab, the aura of weirdness seemed to dissipate and Kayla spoke. "Well, what are we gonna do now?" 

The three of us looked at her, not quite sure if she meant about the sorceress or about our day. 

"I, for one, am starving," Vaughn commented, "Let's get some breakfast." 

The rest of us agreed and we followed him to the cafeteria. When we entered, the place was only beginning to be packed by the morning meal eaters but enough girls were present to giggle and wave to Vaughn. He smiled absently and waved back, but didn't tip his hat or stop to talk to any of them. Kayla hobbled over to a table while we got breakfast. 

After sitting down with the trays of food, the four of us ate in silence until finally Tal said, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm really freaked out about this whole thing." 

"Don't get all worked up," Vaughn counseled, "It's just a sorceress. That's what SeeD does, eliminates the sorceress." 

"Shut up Vaughn," Kayla snapped, "You're just as scared as we are, you're just too much of a wuss to show it." 

Vaughn stared at her in surprise. "Whoa. What's wrong with you?" 

"You don't need to be putting down on Tal just because he admits his feelings," Kayla insisted. 

"Sorry." Vaughn held his hands up as if in a show of peace, "I didn't mean to make fun of your boyfriend." 

"He's not my boyfriend!" Kayla shouted. 

"Sure seems like he is." 

"Shut up!" I interrupted, "Both of you!" The Kinneas siblings fell silent. "We have enough on our minds without worrying about you two fighting. And I'm pretty sure Uncle Irvine and Aunt Selphie would not want to hear that the two of you were jumping down each other's throats at breakfast." 

Sometimes, I can be as scary as my mother and both of them mumbled apologies. We fell into silence again. 

_**Are you all right Mistress?**_

_Yes Ember, I'm fine. Why?_

_**Because I don't think you are. This sorceress thing has you worried, doesn't it?**_

I hesitated before replying. _During the last Sorceress War, tens of thousands of people were hurt or killed by the hand of Ultimecia and her puppets. I don't want to see that happen again._

An image of my father under the evil witch's control flashed through my mind and I shivered. 

_**Ah, I see. You are worried about your father.**_

_He was controlled by Ultimecia all those years ago, why not by this sorceress as well?_

_**Yes, but the only reason your father joined Ultimecia in the first place was because he was a lost child and wanted to protect his Matron.**_

_How'd you know that?_

_**In addition to reading your mind, I also have access to your memories.**_

_You're just full of surprises, aren't you?_

Ember didn't answer and I turned back to my half cold breakfast burrito. The thought of this new sorceress corrupting my father once again played through my head and I shivered uncontrollably. I flinched when I felt a hand on my arm. 

"You sure you're okay?" Vaughn asked with concern. 

"Yeah," I assured with a weak smile, "I'm fine. I'm sure everything will turn out okay." 

"No problem," Vaughn agreed, flashing me a smile of his own, "Garden will send SeeDs to take care of this sorceress. We'll go, exterminate her like the bug she is and it'll be done." 

I nodded but didn't have Vaughn's faith in the simplicity of the mission. It seemed to me like everything that could go wrong would in a situation like this. Suddenly, the intercom chimed and Headmaster Cid's voice floated out. 

"Good morning Balamb Garden," he said cheerily, "This is Headmaster Cid speaking. I hope all of you are enjoying your morning so far. Now, here's Commander Squall Leonhart." 

The intercom microphone could be heard changing hands and then Uncle Squall spoke. 

"Yesterday, a SeeD group was sent to FH on a routine mission. This morning, while still in FH, the team encountered a new enemy, a sorceress by the name of Lantana." 

Around the cafeteria, gasps of shock filled the air. 

Squall continued. "We believe that the sorceress is a threat to Garden and therefore, are mobilizing as soon as we can. Be prepared to be mobile within the next half hour or so. Because we are preparing to move, no one is allowed to leave Garden. Those who are in Balamb are being rounded up as we speak and brought back. As soon as everyone has returned, we will depart for Trabia Garden. That is all." 

The intercom fell silent and a hush filled the cafeteria for a few moments before it erupted into full-blown conversation about the information that they had just received. The room, which was normally only filled with idle chatter, was now abuzz with talk of the sorceress and if she would attack Balamb Garden. 

"You know," Tal started, "the sorceress could attack any time. I think it would be a good idea to keep our weapons with us all the time." 

"You're right," I agreed. We had hurried to the front gate so fast this morning that none of us had thought to bring our weapons. Suddenly, I was in a big hurry to strap on my sheaths. Just feeling the weight of the Sais on my hips would make me feel better. 

"I think I'm done eating," Kayla commented, even though her plate was still half full of biscuits and gravy, "I think I'm gonna head back to my room and get my nunchaku." 

I could tell that she was thinking the same thing I was. "Yeah," I agreed, throwing away most of my breakfast burrito into a nearby trashcan, along with Kayla's food, "I'll come with you." 

"Wait for me." Tal threw his trash away as well and stood up with us. 

"Cale and Luke should be getting back soon," Vaughn commented, "I'll see you guys around." 

We nodded and the three of us hurried out of the cafeteria and to the dorms. Without a word, we each entered our own room and collected our weapons, then met back out in the hallway. 

"Well," Tal began, "Now what?" 

Kayla and I looked at each other and shrugged. 

"I don't know," I admitted, "What should we be doing?" 

"Is there anything we can do?" Kayla wondered. 

None of us had an answer to her question. 

----------------------------------------------- 

Ten minutes later, we were sitting in my room, trying to pretend like it was just another normal day, when the intercom rang to life. 

"Attention everyone, the Garden will be mobile in ten minutes. I repeat, the Garden will be mobile in ten minutes. Please secure all belongings and prepare for the weather in Trabia. That is all." 

The three of us looked at each other, relief evident on all of our faces. 

"Good," Kayla said finally, "As soon as we're on the move, I think all of us will be able to relax." 

"I think you're right," I agreed. Tal nodded as well. 

"We should get our stuff secured before take-off," I suggested. 

"Yeah." 

Kayla and Tal left my room and I went about making sure all the breakable things in my room were safely stored away. I put my family portrait into my nightstand to keep it from falling over and stored away a few knickknacks I had gathered over the years. Once this was done, I sat down to wait. 

Five minutes after the first announcement, another announcement was made, saying that Garden was departing for Trabia in five minutes. Tal and Kayla came back not long after the announcement and the three of us waited for the last announcement that would tell us it was time to depart. We heard the engines of the Garden hum to life in the basement and a few minutes later the final announcement was made. 

"Attention everyone, we are now leaving for Trabia Garden. Please, for your safety, remain seated until the Garden is in the air and traveling smoothly. That is all." 

Underneath the Garden, the engine began to rumble louder and the huge school slowly lifted off the ground. It was a little bumpy at first, like it always was, but as soon as we were airborne, the ride smoothed out and the Garden's movement was barely detectible. When it was once again safe to stand, the three of us let out a cumulative breath of relief. 

"Finally," Kayla sighed, "We're moving. It'll be pretty hard for that Sorceress Whatever to catch us on the run." 

She was right and we all knew it. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I smiled. "Well, what should we do until we get to Trabia?" 

"I think we should find our parents and see if they need our help with anything," Tal suggested. He was such a suck-up sometimes. 

"Okay," I agreed after a moment. 

"I guess we have nothing better to do," Kayla relented. 

The three of us left my room and set off in search of our parents, which was no easy task. Because all of them were so important to Garden, they hardly ever stayed in one place for long and the only time you could find them in their rooms was if it was the middle of the night and even then sometimes they were working. We decided to check my mom's classroom first. Because of the move to Trabia and the sorceress threat, classes were cancelled for the day. We found the room deserted. 

Our next stop was the third floor offices where Uncle Squall spent most of his time. We were informed by his secretary, Adia, that she hadn't seen him all morning. After the failure on the third floor, we went back down to the first and went to the library, hoping Aunt Cammi would be there and would know where our parents were. The only people in the library were cadets and SeeDs checking out books, the air headed librarian who our brothers and Cale had been flirting with and Kit, who was putting returned volumes back on the shelves. 

"Hey Kit," I called as we approached. She turned from her task and smiled at me. 

"What can I do for you Kaisa?" she asked. 

"Have you seen our parents?" 

She frowned. "No, not since the meeting in your mom's classroom. Why? Is something wrong?" 

"No," I assured, "We're just bored so we were looking for them to see if them needed any help with anything." 

"Sorry," Kit apologized, "Haven't seen 'em." 

"Thanks." 

We left the library and after a brief debate on where to go next, we agreed on the cafeteria, hoping Uncle Zell was there getting some hotdogs for breakfast. Easier to predict that the others, Uncle Zell was in line for the many meat treat when we entered. 

"Uncle Zell, have you seen our parents?" Kayla asked. 

"Not since we all split up, just before the Garden took off," he answered and bounced around eagerly, waiting for his turn at the counter. 

"Do you have any idea where they might be?" I inquired. 

"Probably all over," Zell told us, "They were going to prepare things in case we're attacked and stuff." Uncle Zell's attention turned from us and focused on the cafeteria lady as he came to the counter. "Yeah, I want 10 hotdogs please." 

The cafeteria lady sighed. "Zell, we don't sell hotdogs for breakfast. How many times must we tell you that?" 

"But I wrote up that petition and had everybody sign it!" Zell whined. 

"That wasn't enough to convince us that hotdogs are an essential part of breakfast." 

Not wanting to be around at the aftermath of this conversation, I started edging away. The others followed. "Thanks Uncle Zell." 

He didn't acknowledge that I'd spoken and continued to argue with the cafeteria lady. After we left the cafeteria, another brief debate led us to the infirmary, where we found our moms. They were helping Dr. Kadowaki pack up supplies in case she had to grab them and run in the middle of an attack. 

"What are you guys doing here?" Aunt Selphie asked as we entered. 

"You aren't hurt, are you?" my mom questioned, peering at us closely. 

"No," I assured, "We were bored and Tal suggested that we find you and ask if you needed help." 

"Aw," Aunt Rinoa cooed, "You're such a sweet boy Taylor, but we don't need any help. We've got everything under control." 

"It's Tal, Mom," Tal reminded. He hated being called "Taylor" worse than Luke hated being called "Lucian" and almost as much as Uncle Zell hated being called "Chicken-wuss." 

"Sorry," Rinoa apologized, "I forgot. Tal." she corrected. 

"Well then," I began, "Do you know where our dads are?" 

"Probably off killing each other somewhere," my mom quipped. 

"Or at least adding more scars," Aunt Rinoa offered. 

"So they're in the Training Center?" I surmised. 

"Yes," the three of them answered in unison. 

"Okay," I waved as we left, "See you later." 

"Bye!" 

We left the infirmary and walked around the Garden to the Training Center. Because there was no way they could leave the Garden to train at the moment, quite a few SeeDs and cadets were inside, but most stayed around the outer edges, insuring that they only fought Grats. We knew that our dads would be farther in so we cautiously pushed through the foliage until we found them smack dab in the middle of the TC. My dad and Uncle Squall were standing facing each other, their gunblades locked in between them. Uncle Irvine stood to the side, watching. None of the men noticed us and we sat down to watch. 

"I've got 5 gil that says my dad kicks your dad's ass," Tal whispered and pulled a five gil bill out of his pocket. 

I smirked in that patented Almasy way and pulled out a bill of my own. "You're on, Leonhart." 

With a grunt, my dad shoved his gunblade harder against Uncle Squall's, sending the shorter man stumbling back a few steps. Squall recovered quickly and rolled out of the way as Hyperion came crashing down on him. In mid-roll, Uncle Squall kicked my dad in the side, sending him sprawling to the TC ground. I gasped in horror as the blue blade of Lionheart descended on my dad but my fears proved unfounded. My dad rolled out of the way and flipped onto his feet. With a smirk at Squall, he rushed forward, his Hyperion in front of him. The two gunblades collided with a crash and shower of sparks, and once again they were locked in a stalemate like when we had first encountered them. 

"Give up Leonhart," my father snickered, "You can't beat me." 

"I've done it before," Squall reminded, "I'll do it again." 

This time, it was Uncle Squall who made the first move. He dropped to the ground and rolled between my dad's legs, then sprang up behind him. My dad barely had time to swivel around and deflect the blow Uncle Squall had intended for him. 

"Not bad," Seifer complimented as they struck and parried. 

"Thanks." 

By now, both men were sweating but neither appeared to be getting tired. Knowing that his coat was eventually going to be a problem, my dad managed to slip out of the gray piece of clothing while still defending against Squall. The coat landed a few feet away from us and I scrambled forward to get it so no one would trip over it, then hurried back to where we were sitting. The two men were concentrating so hard on each other that they still didn't see us. 

"Quit showing off," Uncle Squall admonished about the coat trick. 

"Showing off for who? You?" My dad chuckled. "I'm flattered Squall but you're really not my type." 

"You know, that's your problem Almasy," Uncle Squall told him with a slight smile, "You always did talk too much!" 

With the last word, Uncle Squall lunged forward at what he thought was an unprotected part of my dad's body. Contemplating his move, my father blocked the shot and managed to knock Lionheart from my uncle's hands. The huge blade spun up into the air and impaled itself in the ground inches from where Uncle Irvine stood. He looked at the blade in shock, then back at the combatants. My dad now had Hyperion up against Uncle Squall's neck and was smirking superiorly. 

"Looks like I win again," he grinned. 

"Not bad," Uncle Squall praised, "you anticipated my move. I admit defeat. You win." 

"Of course I do," my dad smirked and sheathed Hyperion. 

From the edge of the battlefield, the three of us began to clap. 

"Looks like you've got an audience," Uncle Irvine commented as he brought Squall his gunblade. They looked over at us. 

"How long have you three been there?" Uncle Squall asked as he sheathed his own gunblade. 

"A few minutes," Kayla replied as we stood up. 

"Did you see me kick Leonhart's ass, baby girl?" my dad questioned. 

"Yep," I replied, "Which reminds me…" I turned to Tal. "Pay up." 

Tal mumbled something incoherent, then gave me the five gil. I smiled and put it in my pocket with my own money. 

"So, what brings you guys out here?" Uncle Irvine inquired as we joined them in the middle of the battleground. 

"We're bored," I explained, "so we're just wandering around." 

"Oh hey," my dad started as I handed him his coat, "I have something for you. I found it in FH in the ruins of the BGH251F2." He reached into one of the pockets and pulled out an orangish-red object that looked as if it were on fire at the moment. He handed it to me. "It's a Running Fire, for your Limit Break." 

"Cool," I whispered as I stared down at the item in my hand. I closed my fist around it and concentrated until I felt the magic from the item enter my mind. The words "Gatling Gun" whispered faintly in my head for a second, then faded. When I looked at the object again, the magic had left it, leaving it nothing but a gray piece of metal. 

"Thanks Dad," I smiled. Gatling Gun was going to be a useful addition to my Blue Magic repertoire. 

"No problem," he assured. 

After a few more minutes of conversation with our dads, we left the Training Center with absolutely no idea what we were going to do. It was weird. When the Garden was on the ground and we could leave anytime we wanted, we never did but now that we couldn't leave, all three of us were itching to go somewhere. 

--------------------------------- 

By lunchtime, we were about a half hour away from Trabia and the three of us were still bored out of our minds. It was hard to believe that a few hours ago we had been terrified of a sorceress attack. At the moment, we would've given anything for a little action. 

At lunch, we were reunited with our brothers and Cale, who had been wandering around in much the same way we had, although I'm pretty sure most of their time was spent in the library. 

"Hey, good to see you," I snickered as they walked by with their lunches, "Have fun in Balamb last night?" 

"Tons," Luke answered with a sly grin. 

"You must be broke by now huh?" I joked, "What's a good hooker go for these days? 2000, 3000 gil a night?" 

"Like I'd have to buy a hooker," Luke chuckled, "Cale maybe, me, never. The ladies love me." 

Kayla and I burst out laughing. 

"You are so delusional," I told him. 

"Whatever." 

The three of them sat down at a nearby table and ignored us as they ate. Tal, Kayla and I ignored them as well and had our own conversation. 

"So, what are we gonna do once the Garden touches down in Trabia?" Tal asked after taking a bite of his hamburger. 

"I'm going monster hunting," I told him, "I'm gonna fight some Gaylas so I can get a Mystery Fluid for my Limit Break. I'd like to build up a few more Blue Magic spells just in case we do get attacked in the near future." 

"Speaking of Limit Breaks," Kayla said, "my mom said that next time I can use it, I should try to cast Full-Cure. Pretty awesome, huh?" 

Tal and I nodded. Kayla's Limit Break was the same as her mother's, Slot. 

After we finished our lunch, we sat around in the cafeteria, talking about Trabia. Fifteen minutes before we were scheduled to arrive, the intercom chimed to life. 

"Attention everyone, we will be arriving in Trabia in fifteen minutes. I repeat, we will be arriving in Trabia in fifteen minutes. In a minute or so, you will feel a faint vibration as the Garden leaves the ocean and moves onto the continent of Trabia. The tremor will pass quickly and is nothing to be alarmed about. That is all." 

The intercom fell silent and we looked at each other. 

"So, should we go get dressed for snow?" I asked. 

"Yes!" Kayla cheered. She loved Trabia almost as much as her mom did. 

"Let's go." 

The three of us left the cafeteria and went back to our dorms to change. Because it was so cold in Trabia, I opted for a pale yellow sweater, blue jeans, brown ankle-high boots, black gloves and a heavy brown winter coat that reached down to mid calf. Once I was dressed in my wintry outfit, I went next door to Kayla's room. 

When she let me in, she was dressed as well, though not quite as warmly as me. She wore a green mini-dress that stopped about three inches from her knees and had thick straps, black, knee-high boots, black gloves and a tan fur lined coat that almost touched the ground. 

"What do ya think of my outfit?" she asked as she hopped around in front of the mirror. 

"I think you're gonna freeze to death," I told her, "Why are you wearing a dress?" 

"Don't worry," she assured, "this coat will keep me toasty warm." 

"Whatever you say." 

A knock at the door drew out attention. "You guys in there?" 

"Yes!" we called in unison and I opened the door for Tal. He was wearing black jeans, a white T-shirt, black gloves, black boots and a black fur-lined jacket almost identical to the one his father wore. 

"Aw!" I teased, "Little boy's dressing up like his Daddy!" 

"Shut up," Tal scoffed and pushed passed me into the room. I chuckled and stepped away from the door. It slid shut behind me. Tal caught sight of Kayla's outfit and whistled appreciatively. "Whoa Kayla, nice outfit." 

"Keep your tongue in your mouth," I instructed, earning a blush from both of them and a glare from Tal. I looked down at my watch. "We should be landing in about five minutes." 

As if on cue, the intercom spoke. "Attention everyone, we will be arriving in Trabia in five minutes. I repeat, we will be arriving in Trabia in five minutes." 

"Man, you'd think she'd get tired of making all those announcements," Tal commented, referring to Xu who, except on special occasions, made all the announcements over the intercom. 

"She must like doing it or I think she would've asked for another job by now," Kayla said. 

"Trust me, she likes the power of it all." I knew because Xu was one of my mother's friends and she loved feeling like she was in charge. I wasn't very fond of her because Xu hated my father. I tried not to be around when she was. 

"Anyway, judging by how restless everyone has been since leaving Balamb, I'm gonna guess that most people are gonna want off the Garden when we land," Tal deducted, "So unless we want to get trampled, I suggest we get to the gate now and secure a place towards the front of the crowd." 

"Good idea," I acknowledged. The three of us left Kayla's room and went to the front gate, where a small crowd had already gathered. We integrated ourselves with the others and slowly moved towards the front to avoid the risk of being squashed by a run-away crowd. We were within the first twenty people when we heard the Garden's engines winding down as it lowered towards Trabia. 

"Attention everyone. We are now landing in Trabia. I repeat, we are now landing in Trabia. The Headmaster has approved of leaving the Garden, but you must return by 1430 hours. We will be departing for Galbadia Garden at 1500 hours. That is all." 

The Garden slowly lowered until it settled into the soft snows of Trabia. After a few seconds, the engines wound down and then shut off completely. A minute or so passed and then the front gate was open, allowing the flood of SeeDs to exit the moving school. Since we were relatively close to the front, we were within the first ten or fifteen off the Garden. 

As we stepped out into the snow, a light wind gusted around us, sending chills across my exposed face. I shivered, but also smiled. "Let's find some Gaylas." 

"Whoo-hoo!" Kayla called loudly and the three of us trudged deeper into the Trabia Snowfields. We weren't walking long when the unmistakable wail of a Mesmerize, a small, antelope-like monster, cut the air. Within seconds, we were in the middle of a herd of three. 

"You guys ready?" I asked. 

"Yeah!" the others agreed. 

"Okay, since Kayla can't really fight, she can draw or act as healer," I dictated. When we fought low level monsters for item gathering, one of us would attack, one would draw spells and the other would act as healer incase we needed a Cure or Esuna. "What do you want to start out with Tal? Fight or passive?" 

"Fight," Tal answered, as I knew he would. 

"All right," I agreed, "I'll draw. Kay, you heal okay?" 

"Okay." 

Tal checked his Blaster Edge and smirked. "Let's go." 

He began attacking the Mesmerizes, while I drew spells. These Mesmerize were mid-level, so I was able to draw my fill of Cures, Esunas and Lifes, while Tal repeatedly attacked with his Blaster Edge. After about five minutes, the last monster fell, leaving us with about twenty Mesmerize Blades to distribute evenly among us. We picked up our treasures and moved on. 

About forty-five minutes and fifty Mesmerizes later, we still hadn't run into a Gayla. We trudged now in silence and groaned as another swarm of Mesmerizes jumped out of nowhere. 

"Dammit!" Tal cursed, "I'm getting really tired of these things!" 

"I've got enough Mesmerize Blades to last me a life-time!" Kayla complained. It was true. The three of us had all the Blades we could carry. 

"I'm full of Cures, Esunas and Lifes," I informed. 

"Me too," Tal agreed, "And I even refined my Cures into Curas, and have a hundred of those too!" 

We girls nodded in agreement. 

"What do you say we roast these little guys?" I asked with a sly grin. 

"As long as I don't have to look at another Mesmerize Blade," Tal agreed. 

My grin widened as I called, "Ember!" 

Next to me, Kayla shouted, "Blayze!" 

Both GFs materialized in front of us, then yelled, "Crimson Volcano!" in unison. We watched dispassionately as the Mesmerizes were burned to a crisp and then hammered with stones. Once the assault was over, the sisters disappeared, leaving behind a charred mass of Mesmerize but thankfully, no Blades. 

"That was overkill, don't you think?" Tal asked as we moved on. 

"Maybe they'll think twice before they try to attack us again," I said. 

We moved towards Trabia Garden, where it was housed inside a semi-circle of mountains. As we were approaching our own Garden, a shrill shriek filled the air that was different from the Mesmerize but still recognizably a monster. I knew what it was. 

"A Gayla," I informed, eyes shiny with anticipation. Sure enough, the white and black striped monster swooped out of the air and hovered in front of us, initiating the attack. 

"I'm fighting this one," I called to my friends, "You guys decide who will draw and heal." 

"I'll draw," Kayla suggested, "My magic is more powerful." 

"I'll heal," Tal said. 

"Let's get me a Mystery Fluid." 

This particular Gayla was a high level specimen, which meant that Kayla was able to draw Meltdowns from it. None of us had yet acquired the spell, so it was a treat to be getting some of them. I could've called Ember and toasted the snow monster but then Kayla wouldn't have been able to draw the spells, so I settled on slowly and methodically slashing it with my Sais. After about ten minutes, the monster finally gave up and fell to the ground. It spasmed once, then lay still. After disappearing, it left behind what I had been looking for all along, a Mystery Fluid. 

"Yes!" I exclaimed and picked up the prized possession off the snowy ground. I held it in my hand and concentrated until I felt the magic integrate itself into my mind. Once the magic was gone from the Mystery Fluid, the item disappeared into a puff of smoke. 

"Ready to head back to the Garden?" Kayla asked. The snow was making it hard for her to use her crutches. She kept slipping on the icy ground. 

"Yeah," I nodded. "Thanks for the help, you guys." 

"No problem," Tal assured with a smile. 

We trudged back to the Garden, successfully dodging any monsters and boarded about ten minutes before we were required to be back. Since there was nothing to do but wait for departure, we settled down on one of the benches along the main hall and watched people as they walked by. At about 1427 hours, our parents returned from Trabia Garden. 

"So, how'd everything go?" I asked my mom as we fell into step with them. 

"Fine," she assured, "We told Headmistress Aislynn of Trabia Garden about the sorceress and she decided that it would be a good idea to put her Garden on the move as well. They'll be leaving before nightfall." 

"Are they coming with us?" Kayla asked. 

"No," my mom answered, "It would be too risky for us to travel together. It would make us too sweet a target for the sorceress. Anyway, you guys better get back to your rooms, we'll be leaving soon." 

We said goodbye to our parents and then made our way back to our dorms. This time we congregated in Tal's room, which we had never done before because, as a cadet, he had shared a dorm with a rather unpleasant boy named Kevin, and we waited for the departure from Trabia. About twenty minutes after we had talked to our parents, we were informed via intercom that we would be leaving Trabia in ten minutes. We were told again in five minutes and then five minutes after that, we were airborne and headed towards Galbadia Garden. 

-------------------------------------- 

I know this chapter was kinda boring. It was supposed to go along with the next chapter, but that would've made it waaaaaaayyyy too long, so I decided to split it up. Next chapter will have some action, I promise.


	7. Possession

**Chapter 7: Possession**

About an hour after take-off, we were informed that we would be stopping on an island near Dollet for the night. Galbadia Garden was almost twice as far from Trabia as Balamb was from Trabia, so the Garden would've been traveling all night to get there. I guess the Headmaster or maybe even Uncle Squall decided that we should park the Garden for the night and continue in the morning. I wasn't sure why they would decide to do this and it made me slightly uneasy, but there was nothing I could do about it but go with the flow. 

After leaving Trabia, Kayla, Tal and I hung around in Tal's room for a few hours, then drifted off to our own rooms for a nap. We were all tired from the early morning wake-up call my mother had visited upon us and were emotionally drained by the news of the sorceress. 

I went back to my room and fell asleep quickly. When I finally woke up again, I discovered that I had been sleeping for almost three hours and it was dinnertime. My stomach grumbled in agreement with this thought and after changing into some clothes more fit for wandering around the Garden, I went next door to get Kayla. When she let me in, I was surprised to find that Tal was with her. 

"It's about time you woke up," he teased. 

"Yeah," Kayla agreed, "I've been calling you for the past hour." 

"Sorry," I smiled sheepishly, "I guess I was out." 

"No kidding," Kayla scoffed, "Anyway, ready for dinner?" 

My stomach grumbled again. "Yeah." 

The three of us left Kayla's room and headed towards the cafeteria. Because I had awakened so late, almost everyone had already gotten their dinner, so the lines were very short. Tal and I got three trays full of food and drinks while Kayla found a table in the nearly full room. 

"Since you were sleeping," Kayla said to me as she dug into her dinner, "I'm assuming you didn't hear the announcement earlier?" 

"Nope," I agreed. 

"We're stopping on an island north of Dollet at about 2000 hours," she informed. 

"Why don't we just stop in Dollet?" I asked, "Wouldn't that make more sense?" 

"I talked to my dad earlier and he said that the farther away from civilization we are, the better," Tal explained, "He said that the sorceress's spies could be anywhere and if she was alerted to our presence in Dollet, she might attack." 

I nodded. It made sense. "So, what were you guys up to while I was sleeping?" 

"Nothing!" they both exclaimed defensively. 

I looked at them in surprise and a small smile played on my lips. "Whoa guys, no need to be so defensive, it was just a question." 

"Well," Tal began, trying to act like I was the one who had asked a terrible question, "What do you think we were doing?" 

"Judging by that reaction, I'd say something that you shouldn't have been," I joked. 

"We were just talking," Kayla insisted with a blush. 

"Riiiiiight." I looked back and forth between the two of them. Kayla avoided eye contact and Tal was glaring at me again. "What is wrong with you guys?" 

"Nothing," they replied in unison. 

I eyed them suspiciously. "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear the two of you were hiding something from me." 

"Of course not!" Kayla exclaimed, a little too quickly and with too much emotion, "We would never hide anything from you! You're our best friend!" 

I was unnerved by the way she kept referring to them as "we" and "our", like they were a couple or something. "Whatever. Look, forget I said anything." 

Both of them agreed and an awkward silence fell over the table. I knew they were hiding something from me and I felt betrayed. 

_**If I remember correctly, you refrained from mentioning your little tryst with Vaughn in the Training Center, then denied that you had hidden anything from them.**_

_You always show up at the most inopportune moments. And it wasn't a "tryst"._

_**I was only reminding you.**_

_Can I just eat in peace, please?_

_**As you wish, Mistress.**_

I was really getting tired of Ember's little comments and the situation with Kayla and Tal wasn't doing me any good either. After dinner, I claimed that I was still tired and went back to my dorm room rather than hang out with them for a few more hours. About half an hour after I had returned to my room, the Garden touched down on an island just north of Dollet. SeeD dorms were constructed against the outer part of the Dormitories, so all of them featured windows. I slid mine open, allowing the salty sea air and the lulling sound of the waves to infiltrate my room. 

I laid on my bed for about two hours or so, trying to figure out what was going on with my life. It seemed like in just two days, everything was changing and becoming strange. Making SeeD, the weird feelings I had every time I saw Vaughn, Kayla and Tal acting like they were secretly a couple, Ember talking to me and now, the new Sorceress threat. Everything was going haywire around me and I felt like if I didn't get some stability in my life soon, I was going to go insane. 

Finally, wanting to escape my thoughts and the chaos that they brought with them, I decided to go for a walk. By this time, it was about 2130 hours and most people would be getting ready for bed. Garden's curfew was 2200 hours, so I figured I had about a half hour before I would get into trouble. I put on a light purple sweater to guard against the chill of the sea breeze, but opted for shorts instead of pants. It was the beach after all. 

After changing, I quietly left my room and headed towards the main gate. I passed a few people, but none that I knew personally or that I felt obliged to stop and talk to. I was glad because I just wanted to get out of the Garden and walk in the sand. At the front gate, I was greeted by Mr. Hino, who told me that I only had about twenty-five minutes until curfew. I thanked him, knowing that if I were a few minutes late, he wouldn't report me. 

Once outside, the chilly sea air smelled saltier than in my room and the waves were louder. I took a deep breath and walked around the Garden to a small strip of beach about two hundred yards away. In the sky, a half moon hung in the blackness, illuminating my path. It also allowed me to see that no one else was around, which I was grateful for. I just wanted to be alone. 

When I reached the beach, I sat down in the soft sand just above the tide line and stared out at the inky black ocean. Unfortunately, the sound of the waves gently lapping at the sand wasn't enough to drown out my thoughts and once again my mind turned to the strange happenings of the past few days. The one that bugged me the most, I think, was the fact that Tal and Kayla were hiding something from me. 

_Ember, are you there?_

She answered immediately. _**I am here, Mistress.**_

_Can I talk to you?_

_**You don't need to. I already know what is on your mind.**_

I sighed out loud. _So, what do you think is up with Tal and Kayla?_

She hesitated. _**Mistress, I know that this stage in life is difficult for all humans and I'm sure you aren't excluded but you must understand. People grow up and things change. There is nothing you can do to stop it. You must learn to deal with it.**_

_So you think they're hiding something from me?_ Ember was silent. I frowned. _Ember?_

_**Listen Mistress, something is approaching.**_

I spun around quickly, not wanting to be caught off guard by a monster hoping to get a late night snack, and my hands went to my hips, where my Sais hung, ready for the battle. I was surprised to see that it was a person approaching, not a monster. The moon caused the person to only be illuminated as a silhouette but the cowboy hat gave him away. My heart began to beat faster and I tried desperately to slow it as Vaughn Kinneas approached. 

"What're you doing out here?" he asked with a grin as he stopped next to me, "It's almost curfew." 

"I just went for a walk," I told him without looking up at him. 

"Without Kayla and Tal?" he inquired. I nodded. "Are you three fighting or something?" 

"No," I assured, "I just needed some alone time." 

He sat down next to me. "Well, mind if I join your alone time?" 

"No." 

The two of us were silent for a moment as we stared out at the waves. After a minute or so, I broke the silence. 

"So, why aren't you with Luke and Cale?" 

"They're stalking the library chick again," Vaughn informed, "She's hot and all, but she's got the brain of a Grat." 

I chuckled. "I didn't think guys cared if girls had brains. I thought it was all about anatomy." 

Vaughn put his hand to his heart as if I had mortally wounded him. "That hurts my feelings that you think of me that way." 

I glanced over at him and rolled my eyes. "Sure it does." 

"It does," he insisted. "I'm a well rounded man. I like beauty and brains." 

"Since when?" 

"I don't know," he admitted, "I've just refined my tastes, I guess." 

I fell silent for a moment. "Hey Vaughn?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Has Kayla said anything to you about her and Tal?" 

"What do you mean?" 

I thought for a moment before answering. "Well, today, they were in Kayla's room while I was sleeping and when I asked them what they were doing, they got all defensive and insisted that they were just talking." 

Vaughn laughed. "Just talking huh? Sounds like Leonhart's putting the moves on her." 

"You think so?" 

"Kaisa," Vaughn began, "when a guy and a girl are in a room together and they insist that they were 'just talking', you can pretty much guess that there was no talking involved." 

I nodded but didn't say anything. It was exactly like I thought. There was something going on between the two of them but neither one of them would tell me. Some best friends. 

"Why?" Vaughn continued. "Kayla hasn't said anything to you?" 

I shook my head. "They just deny everything." 

"It's just part of growing up," Vaughn said, "It was bound to happen." 

I sighed forlornly. "Now I'm gonna be the proverbial 'fifth wheel'. At least that's how I'm gonna feel every time we're together." 

"Maybe I'm wrong," Vaughn said in a lame attempt to comfort me, "Maybe they were just talking. I don't know, but I always kinda thought Leonhart was gay." 

"Tal's not gay!" I defended. 

"Okay," Vaughn held his hands up in a defensive posture, "I was just saying that's what I thought." 

"He's not," I insisted. Then as an afterthought, added, "Of course, if he was, then I wouldn't be in this predicament, would I?" 

"Just be glad that you don't like him too," Vaughn said, "That's a sure fire way to break up a friendship. You don't like him, do you?" 

"Hyne no!" I exclaimed, "He's my friend but I don't like him like that." 

"Have your heart set on someone else?" he teased. 

I thanked Hyne for the low light. A fierce blush crept onto my cheeks and if the moon had been any brighter, he would've seen it. As if the blush sucked all the warmth out of my body and pooled it in my face, I shivered. A second later, I felt Vaughn's coat settle onto my shoulders. It was such a clichéd thing for him to do, yet it made me feel all warm inside. 

"Thanks," I mumbled. 

"No problem." He looked down at his watch. "It's getting late. We should head back." 

I looked down at my watch and saw that it was only five minutes until curfew. "Okay." 

We stood up and walked back to the Garden in silence. Once inside, I slipped his coat off and handed it back to him. He smiled and tipped his hat at me, then hesitated to leave. He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a small, spherical, snowy object. He handed it to me. 

"A Whisper," he informed, "I got it from an Adamantoise earlier and I don't have any use for it. Luke said you were gathering items for your Limit Break and I read somewhere that a Whisper is one of the items you need so…" 

He was babbling, almost like he was embarrassed. I smiled. "Thanks Vaughn." 

"No problem." 

"Well," I said nervously, "We better get to bed… I mean, you know, go to sleep… in separate beds…" I could feel my cheeks getting hotter by the second. 

He grinned. "Was that an offer, Kaisa?" 

"What?" I exclaimed, "No, of course not! The words just came out wrong and…" Oh Hyne, it was getting worse by the second. My face felt like it was on fire. 

"I'll see you later," Vaughn smiled and left me standing in the main hall. I was grateful, because he spared me any more embarrassment. My face still remained red and I shuddered to think what my brother would say when Vaughn told him about our little conversation. 

Not wanting to risk running into anyone and having to explain the crimson state of my face, I hurried back to my room and locked the door behind me. Once I was safely inside, I let out a long breath and my heart began to slow. I looked down at the Whisper in my hand and a dreamy smile came across my now back to normal face. Suddenly, the smile faded and a look of horror replaced it. 

"Oh Hyne!" I wailed, "I have a crush on Vaughn Kinneas!" 

_**You're just now figuring this out?**_

_I really don't need your input on the situation._

Ember fell silent and I quickly changed into my pajamas, then climbed into bed. Still holding the Whisper, I concentrated on the magic and allowed it to flow into my mind. Once it was used, the Whisper was nothing more than a milky white stone but I hesitated to throw it out. I looked around for a second and then did the most childish thing I could. I opened my nightstand drawer and put the stone in with my other knickknacks as a keepsake, then fell asleep. 

The next morning I was awakened at about 0800 hours by my phone ringing. I groaned and answered it. "Hello?" 

"Are you going to grace us with your presence today or what?" 

It was Kayla. I grinned, momentarily forgetting about the weird way she and Tal were acting yesterday. "Yeah. Give me a few minutes." 

I hung up the phone and got dressed, then went next door to meet Kayla. She was alone in her room and she stepped out instead of letting me in. 

"Let's get some breakfast," she suggested. 

"Shouldn't we get Tal?" I inquired. 

"He's a big boy," Kayla assured, "he can find the cafeteria by himself." 

I didn't know what to make of this new development so I kept quiet and followed Kayla to the cafeteria. Because it was slightly later in the morning, most SeeDs and cadets had already eaten and left the cafeteria. A few were still scattered around and of course, Cale, Luke and Vaughn had to be at one of the occupied tables. I groaned inwardly and prayed to Hyne that they wouldn't see us. 

"What are you doing?" Kayla asked when she noticed my surreptitious glances at our brothers and Cale. 

"Nothing!" I insisted, "Just looking for a table." 

"There's tables all over," Kayla stated truthfully, with a hint of suspicion in her voice. 

"Right," I agreed, "Well, you go sit and I'll get us some breakfast." 

I wove through the tables towards the counters, making sure I stayed as far away from Vaughn and the others as I possibly could while not making it obvious what I was doing. Once at the counter, I ordered our food and kept my eyes forward. Once the food was on the trays, I looked around the cafeteria to see where Kayla had decided to sit. My heart stopped as I saw that she was just two tables away from our brothers and the tables in between happened to be empty. 

"Hyne, why are you doing this to me?" 

I took the trays and wove in and out of the tables so that I wouldn't have to pass by the one that our brothers were sitting at. Luckily, Kayla was sitting on the side that faced their table so I sat with my back to them. I put our trays down and remained silent, hoping to hear Luke coming before he got there. I just knew that he was going to make fun of me for the things I had said to Vaughn last night. 

"You okay Kaisa?" Kayla asked, "You look nervous." 

"I'm fine," I assured although I was wound so tight that I might spring at any minute. I decided to change the subject. "So, where's Tal? Have you seen him this morning?" 

"He said he was helping his dad with something," she replied vaguely. 

The way she avoided my eyes reminded me of their odd behavior last night at dinner. I wanted to find out the truth but I was afraid that it would change everything if I did. I took a deep breath and after a brief pep talk in my head, I decided to ask her. Of course, that's when the intercom rang. 

"Attention everyone, we will be leaving for Galbadia Garden in ten minutes. I repeat, we will be leaving for Galbadia Garden in ten minutes. We should arrive there at about 1230 hours. That is all." 

I cursed the intercom for it's inconvenient timing and turned back to my breakfast without asking Kayla about her and Tal's relationship. My morning went from bad to worse as Kayla sighed exasperatedly. 

"Oh great," she said, "Here come our darling brothers." 

I stiffened and tried to decide the best course of action to deal with Luke's teasing. Of course, my mind decided to freeze up and I was still frantically thinking up a plan when they descended upon us. 

"Good morning kiddies," Luke greeted and sat down next to me. Vaughn sat across from me, next to Kayla and Cale sat next to Vaughn. 

"Hyne you guys," Kayla scoffed, "Don't you have bimbos to be chasing or something?" 

I remained silent. 

"Hey," Cale defended, "The bimbos chase us." 

"Is there a reason you decided to pay us a visit?" Kayla asked boredly. 

"Oh, I think Kaisa knows why," Luke informed. 

_Dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit!_ "I don't know what you're talking about." 

"Don't lie," Luke insisted, "It's not gonna get you out of it." He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a tablet of paper with a pen slid into the rings at the top. 

I stared in confusion at it. It was his ticket book. Like my father before him, Luke was head of the Disciplinary Committee. I watched as he wrote my name at the top of the first slip. 

"You were out after curfew last night," he told me. 

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "What?" 

"Don't try to talk your way out of it," he said, "I saw you heading back to your room at 2203 hours, which is three minutes after curfew. I have to write you up." 

I should've been mad at his nitpicking but I was so relieved that he didn't say anything about the embarrassing conversation with Vaughn that I didn't argue. He tore off the ticket and handed it to me. 

"Three more and you'll have detention," he warned. 

"Whatever," I scoffed and put the paper down next to my plate. My mind was reeling as they stood up to leave. There was no way that Luke would've passed up the opportunity to make fun of me, especially about something as embarrassing as what I had said to Vaughn, yet he hadn't mentioned it. The only answer I could come up with was that Vaughn hadn't told him but that didn't make any sense either. They always told each other everything. Why would Vaughn have kept it a secret? 

As they were leaving, I looked up at Vaughn. He smiled and winked, as if he knew what I was thinking and was informing me that I was right in my deductions. I stared after them as they left, wondering what was going on. 

"Did my brother wink at you?" Kayla asked after they had left. 

"What?" 

"My brother," Kayla repeated, "Did he wink at you when they were leaving?" 

_Uh oh._ "Uh, I don't know, did he?" 

"It sure looked like he did," Kayla insisted, "Why would he do that?" 

"I have no idea," I lied. 

Kayla shrugged her shoulders and returned to her breakfast, as did I. After a moment, Kayla spoke again. 

"So, what were you doing out after curfew last night?" 

I froze in mid chew, trying to think up a convincing lie. There was no way I could tell her I had gone for a walk. I had told her and Tal that I was still tired. "Um, my mom called and wanted to talk to me really quick before curfew." 

"About what?" 

_Dammit!_ "Uh, you know, how I was taking the whole sorceress thing and stuff." Even to me it sounded like a lie. 

"Well, then you shouldn't have gotten in trouble for being out late if it was your mom's fault," Kayla insisted, "You should tell your mom to talk to Luke and get the ticket revoked." 

"It's no big deal," I told her quickly, "It's not like it's going to do anything." 

"You're right," Kayla agreed, "It's just easier to ignore it." 

I inwardly sighed with relief. Sometimes, when Kayla got an idea such as that in her head, it was hard to get it out without actually taking care of it. 

The rest of breakfast was spent talking about trivial things like what we were going to do when we got to Galbadia and whether we would run into any cute SeeDs there. Hearing her talk about boys made me forget all about the way her and Tal had acted and I convinced myself that it had all been in my head. 

After breakfast, we went to my room to wait for the Garden to take off. We only had to wait for five minutes and we were once again on the move. After taking to the sea, we decided that there was nothing to do but wait for the announcement that we were nearing Galbadia Garden, so to pass the time we decided to discuss what monsters we would encounter and if any of them were useful to us. 

"The only monster of use to me is a Belhelmel," I informed, "They drop Laser Cannons, which I can use for my Limit Break." 

"Sounds good," Kayla said, "We'll go hunting for Belhelmels when we get to Galbadia. Then if we have time, we can go boy hunting." 

I grinned, but in fact I had no desire to check out the boys of G Garden. This realization scared me a little and I didn't want to ponder it. I changed the subject. 

"I wonder how long we'll be staying in Galbadia?" I inquired. 

"Probably not long," Kayla answered, "It seems like everyone is loathe to stay in one place for any length of time." 

"You're right." I had noticed it too. This morning in the cafeteria, everyone had been edgy, as if they expected to be attacked at any minute. I had to admit, when the Garden was stationary, I didn't feel as safe either. I was glad we were on the move again. 

"We'll have to be quick then," I said, referring to the Belhelmel hunt. 

Kayla nodded and changed the subject to a book she had just finished reading. 

We stayed in my room, chatting and gossiping for a good two hours before we got bored and decided to wander around, hoping to find some sort of entertainment. What we found was Tal Leonhart helping his father inventory the supplies in the basement. 

"Having fun?" we asked as we joined him. 

"Does it look like I'm having fun?" His T-shirt and face were smeared with dirt from the boxes of supplies and he looked exhausted. 

"Not really," I admitted, "So, why'd you volunteer?" 

"I didn't have a choice." Tal shot a glance at his father, who was on the other side of the room, counting cases of bottled water. "He called me up at 0530 hours and 'asked' if I wanted to help him with inventory. Short of injuring myself, there was no way out of it." 

"Tal, we're friends," I said in a mock hurt tone, "If you needed to be injured, you could've come to one of us." 

"Ha ha," he replied sarcastically, "Although it would've been better than this." 

"Are you almost done?" Kayla asked, "We're bored." 

"What am I supposed to do about it?" 

"Duh," Kayla scoffed, "You're supposed to entertain us." 

"What do you want me to do, dance for you?" He grinned and hummed a tune, then acted like he was going to pull his shirt up. 

"Ewwww!" Kayla and I screamed, gaining Uncle Squall's attention. "NO!" 

"What are you guys doing over there?" Uncle Squall called. 

Tal let go of his shirt. "Just finishing up with these boxes of food." 

"You need to stop hanging around Vaughn and Luke," I insisted. 

"I'll be done in a few minutes," Tal informed, "I'll meet you in the main hall." 

We agreed and rode the elevator back to the first floor, then took a seat on a bench to wait for him. As we were waiting, Raven and Tristen walked by, hand in hand. They waved at us but didn't stop to talk. Kayla sighed as they walked away. 

"He's dreamy," she whispered. 

I rolled my eyes but had the feeling that everything was going back to normal. The whole thing with her and Tal was just a fluke. 

A few minutes later, Tal joined us, looking even grimier in the light, and we scooted over so he could sit down. 

"So, what are you two up to?" he asked. 

"A whole lotta nothing," I informed, "we were hoping you would have an idea as to something we could do." 

"I just spent the last five and a half hours in a dirty basement helping my father inventory supplies," he reminded, "Anything would be fun after that." 

"What about stomping some Grats in the Training Center?" Kayla suggested, "I know it's easy and all, but it'll take our minds off the boredom and I can actually fight." 

The fact that her sprained ankle was getting it the way of her fighting was really bothering Kayla. Creaming some Grats might be good for her and there was no risk that they might take advantage of her injury. They were too stupid for that. 

"Okay," I agreed, "sounds like a plan." 

The three of us got up and headed to the Training Center. Once there, we fell into our usual Fight-Draw-Heal pattern but this time we let Kayla fight too. After we had stomped about a dozen Grats into oblivion, we decided to take a break. The three of us went to the exit of the Training Center and sat down, hoping to cool off some. Not that fighting Grats was strenuous work but it was enough to get your heart pumping. 

After a ten-minute rest, we went back to our Grat killing. We stayed in the Training Center for a little more than an hour, killing Grats, drawing magic and collecting items. When we had our fill of Sleep, Silence and Berserk magic, and when our pockets were overflowing with Sleep Powders, Silence Powders and Poison Powders, we decided to call it a day and head back to the dorms. We were about half an hour away from Galbadia Garden so we decided to get ready for the hot weather. 

Since I hadn't taken a shower yet, I took one then and changed into a pair of denim shorts and a wide strapped tank top. I also put on a pair of black, ankle high, lace up boots. By the time I was ready, the announcement had just come over the intercom saying that we were five minutes from G Garden. 

I was heading towards the door when someone knocked on it. I opened it to reveal Kayla, dressed in a blue dress similar to the one she had worn the previous day in Trabia. She wasn't much for different types of clothing. She also wore the same brown, knee high boots. 

"Ready?" she asked. 

"Yeah," I agreed and stepped into the hall with her. "Let's go find Tal and head towards the front gate." 

We met up with Tal in the dorm hallway, then headed back towards the front gate. Once again, there was a crowd but not one as big as the one when we had stopped at Trabia. People in the Garden were bigger fans of snow than they were of scorching desert heat. We waited for a few minutes until the Garden touched down, followed by an announcement. 

"Attention everyone, our stay in Galbadia will be brief. Headmaster Cid asks that everyone be back on board the Garden in half an hour. That's right, at 1300 hours, be back on the Garden. That is all." 

The front gates were opened and we were admitted into the sweltering heat of the day. Everyone who got off the Garden, with the exception of me, Tal and Kayla, headed straight for the red Garden directly in front of us. Most of them were transfer students from Galbadia and this was like a homecoming for them. 

Once we were out of the Garden, the three of us headed out onto the "Wastelands" as they were called, to look for a Belhelmel. We found one pretty quickly but it wasn't alone. It was fighting with a Blood Soul. Of course, this really wasn't a problem and after drawing our fill of spells, we dispatched the monsters with efficiency. The Belhelmel dropped a Laser Cannon and I was able to learn my Limit Break, Homing Laser. 

After defeating the Blood Soul and Belhelmel, we headed straight back to the Garden. We had been gone for about twenty minutes, so we weren't in danger of being late. Our parents hadn't returned yet though, so there was nothing to do but wait for them. 

Of course, they returned a few minutes before 1300 hours and they informed us that like B Garden and T Garden, G Garden was going on the move, but like Trabia, wouldn't be accompanying us. Our parents went towards the elevator and we were making our way back towards the dorms when a huge explosion rocked the Garden. 

Tal, Kayla and I stopped dead in our tracks as absolute silence fell on the halls. I was beginning to think that maybe I had been struck deaf when a loud, keening wail filled the air. It was obviously someone who was hurt, possibly dying. 

"What was that?" Tal asked, his eyes wide with shock. 

"I don't know," I admitted, "It sounded like it came from the cafeteria." 

Without thinking, the three of us hurried in that direction. We were nearing the cafeteria hall when a group of cadets and underclassmen burst from the hallway and ran past us. All of them looked scared. The three of us looked at each other with wide eyes and then continued on. We had almost gotten to the cafeteria when suddenly, the body of a SeeD flew out of the hallway and, nearly hitting us in the process, crashed into the fountain surrounding the elevator shaft. He lay face down in the water and didn't move. 

"Oh Hyne," Kayla breathed. 

A sudden crackling, like electricity, filled the air and another, smaller explosion sounded in the cafeteria hallway. I recognized it at once. It was a high level Thunder spell, most likely Thundaga. Not knowing what to expect, the three of us clutched our weapons and waited to see what would emerge from the hallway. Inside the cafeteria, we could hear people screaming and crying out in agony. I didn't even want to think about how many couldn't cry out. 

The crackling came again but this time wasn't followed by an explosion but we were none the less scared. The sound of the lightning was getting closer. We caught a glimpse of movement through the small glass windows in the corridor and held our breath as whatever was causing all the damage stepped into the main hall. 

It was Raven Leonhart. 

The three of us stared for a second, not sure what was going on. Thinking she was fleeing from whatever was still in the cafeteria, we waited to see what she would do. If Raven was running, whatever it was must be extremely powerful. As we watched her calmly walk into the main hall of the Garden, I realized something wasn't right. 

"Raven!" Tal called before I could stop him, "What's going on?" 

The older girl turned to us and all of us gasped when we saw that her normally gray eyes had turned blood red. It was then that I realized what was going on. She was possessed by the sorceress. 

Tal, obviously not as quick on the uptake as me, looking at her questioningly. "Rave, what's wrong with your eyes?" 

Raven didn't answer. Instead, she lifted her hand up and it began to crackle with electricity as she summoned a high level Thunder spell. Horrified, I screamed, "Get down!", then shoved both of them in different directions before getting out of the way myself. The Thundaga spell hit the floor where we had been not a moment ago and sent chunks of marble sailing into the air. A few hit me in the face and I could feel them pierce the skin. I hissed in pain but didn't have time to heal it. Raven was calmly walking towards us. 

I jumped to my feet and saw that Tal did the same. Kayla was having trouble because one of her crutches was tangled in the bushes that grew along the fountain. She tugged on it relentlessly but the shrubbery would not yield. It was just as well. She would have trouble dodging any attacks anyhow and it was best to keep Raven's attention focused on us rather than have her focus on Kayla. 

"What the hell is going on?" Tal demanded as he joined me in the middle of the corridor again. 

"The sorceress," I whispered and clutched my Sais, "we've got to stop her before she hurts anyone else." 

Tal nodded but I could tell he was thinking the same thing as me: How are we going to do that? 

Raven advanced on us once again and this time, her hand began to glow with a bright red fire spell. Flare. I knew that if it hit one of us, there would be know way we could survive it. Our magic defense wasn't strong enough yet to live through a direct hit by a Forbidden spell like that. 

"Oh Hyne," Tal groaned, "It's a Flare spell." 

"When she casts it," I whispered, "Get out of the way." 

"Easier said than done." 

The spell began to glow brighter and even though she made no sound, Raven mouthed the word "Flare." 

Before either of us had a chance to dodge, we were tackled from the side and driven across the hall into the shrubs next to where Kayla still struggled to free herself. A heavy weight came down on top of me as the Flare spell exploded behind us, tearing up another large portion of the marble hall and sending deadly shrapnel in every direction. I heard a few piece whiz by me and even saw a piece the size of a baseball splash down into the fountain about six inches in front of my face. 

During the explosion, someone had yelled Raven's name. As soon as the marble debris settled down, I was yanked to my feet and shoved forward roughly from behind. I turned around and saw that it was Vaughn who was behind me. Next to him, Luke had scooped up Kayla and Cale was shoving Tal forward, towards the fountain. 

"Go!" he ordered. 

"Go where?" I asked. There was nothing in front of me but the shrubs and the water. 

Vaughn sighed exasperatedly and grabbed my arm, dragging me next to him as he splashed into the fountain. I turned to see what Raven was doing and saw that Tristen was limping towards her. He had a burn mark on his shirt and he looked injured. 

"Raven!" Tristen called, "You have to stop this!" 

He reached out for her but as soon as he touched her, he was blasted into a nearby wall. He slumped to the ground and didn't move. Once he was dealt with, her ruby eyes turned back to us. 

"Oh Hyne," I whimpered, getting Vaughn's attention. 

He looked behind us, then shouted, "DOWN!" 

Before I could obey, I was pushed face first down into the water. I took a breath just as I hit it, and I sucked in a mouthful of water. I tried to get back to the surface but Vaughn was on top of me again, holding me down. I began to panic, thinking I was going to drown. Above the sounds of me thrashing and through the water distortion, I heard another spell scream by us. As soon as it was gone, I was pulled out of the water. 

I came up sputtering, trying to get a breath of air to replace the water but I didn't have time to wait because Vaughn was pulling me along again. I stumbled a few times and felt like I was going to pass out. Finally, we managed to get on the other side of the elevator shaft from Raven and she could no longer see us. I heard more spells crackle, however, and assumed she had found new targets. 

Once we stopped running, I was able to finally catch my breath, I coughed up most of the water, embarrassed at throwing up in front of my friends. No one said anything, they just kept asking if I was all right. Once I could breathe again, I assured them I was fine and we huddled together behind the shaft with our brothers and Cale, hoping to stay out of sight of Raven, or whatever it was that was controlling her. 

We heard more spells being cast and more screams of pain as they connected but because of our position, we couldn't see what was going on. Kayla hopped over to me and grabbed my hand. We were both soaking wet and she looked scared. I was scared too. Suddenly, the elevator doors opened around the shaft and we heard running feet heading towards Raven. There were also shouts and we recognized them at once. 

"It's Mom and Dad!" Kayla said to Vaughn. 

I heard my parents as well, along with Uncle Squall, Aunt Rinoa, Uncle Zell, Aunt Cammi, Uncle Raijin and Aunt Fujin. I heard a few of them casting Shell magic on one another as they approached the oldest Leonhart. 

"Quick," Luke ordered, "Get to the elevator. We'll ride it up to the second floor." 

The six of us hurried around the shaft and boarded the elevator. A quick glance towards Raven showed that our parents were planning on keeping her here but she wasn't having it. Already, Aunt Cammi lay to one side, not moving. Aunt Selphie and my mom were casting curative magic and trying to get her to respond. 

We rode the elevator up to the second floor, then crowded around on the hallway bridge where we could get a look at the action down below. A few others were there as well but they stayed out of our way. Down below, Raven was charging up another attack as my dad and Uncle Squall tried to restrain her. They were both electrocuted and thrown backwards, just like Tristen had been. 

"They don't stand a chance," Luke whispered, "She's too powerful." 

Below, my dad and Uncle Squall got to their feet. My dad was limping but he didn't back off. Behind the others, my mom stood up and started to cast a spell but she was stopped as Raven hit her with a Flare spell. My mom's magic defense was about as high as anyone could get it, but that didn't mean the spell didn't hurt. It threw her back against a wall and she slumped to the ground. Tears welled in my eyes as I watched. I didn't know if she was alive or dead. 

My dad saw what had happened and he went berserk. He rushed towards Raven, his Hyperion held above his head. Uncle Squall read his intention and stopped him before he reached the young sorceress. My dad tried to pull away to get to Raven, but Uncle Squall wouldn't let him go. Seeing their distraction, the Raven-thing hit them with a high level spell. My dad took the brunt of the spell and he and Squall were sent to the ground. Over by my mom, Selphie was casting curative magic on her. She moved and I let out a breath. She was alive. 

My mom was incapacitated, as was Aunt Cammi, my dad and Uncle Raijin, who had taken a Water spell to the chest. Aunt Selphie was healing people as fast as she could while Uncle Irvine, Aunt Rinoa, Uncle Squall and Aunt Fujin tried to talk some sense into Raven. Uncle Zell was with Aunt Cammi, casting curative magic and talking to her. She still hadn't moved. 

As we looked on, Raven shot a Thunder spell at Fujin. Always being the gentleman, Uncle Irvine stepped in the way. They were both thrown back into the elevator shaft and knocked unconscious as they fell into the water. Aunt Selphie and Uncle Squall ran to them and drug them out of the water before they drowned. No sooner than she had dragged Aunt Fujin to safety, Aunt Selphie was slammed with a Firaga spell and fell unconscious next to Uncle Irvine. Next to me, Kayla burst into tears. 

Down below, the only two still in action were Aunt Rinoa and Uncle Squall, Raven's parents. Seeing no other way, Aunt Rinoa called out "Angel Wing!" Two beautiful white wings erupted from her back and she floated about a foot off the floor. She was now using her sorceress powers. 

Raven, seeing her mother's display, smiled and in a voice not her own said, "Your powers will be mine, sorceress. Prepare to die!" 

Raven cast a Thundaga spell on Rinoa, but the older woman simply absorbed it and shot it back at her daughter. Raven stumbled a few steps and her crimson eyes glowed with murderous rage. She summoned a Flare spell and sent this at her mother as well. The spell staggered Aunt Rinoa but she didn't fall. Instead, she smiled slightly and with a flick of her wrist, sent the spell back at Raven. The girl fell to her knees and began to gasp for breath. 

"M-Mother?" she cried. 

Almost instantly, Aunt Rinoa's sorceress powers faded and she returned to the floor. She rushed over to her daughter. Because we were up higher and Rinoa was talking down to Raven we couldn't hear what she said. She knelt in front of her daughter and began to talk to her. Suddenly, Raven, who had been looking down at the ground, looked up at her mother and smiled. It was an evil smile and before Rinoa could react, Raven wrapped her hand around her mother's neck. 

"Time to die!" Raven hissed in a voice not her own. She got to her feet, still holding her mother around the neck. Rinoa began to gasp and struggle but whatever power was inside Raven had given her superhuman strength. She stood at her full height, lifting her mother off the ground with one hand as she choked the life out of her. 

"Your powers will be mine!" 

A bluish aura began to glow around Aunt Rinoa and seemed to be siphoned off into Raven. I assumed the aura must be Aunt Rinoa's sorceress powers. Next to me, I heard Kayla gasped and turned to see Tal was starting to climb up onto the side of the hallway. He clearly intended to jump. Luckily, Cale grabbed him and hauled him off. 

"Let me go!" Tal screamed and kicked furiously, to no avail, "She's gonna kill her!" 

My attention was drawn back to the scene below as Uncle Squall yelled at Raven and then grabbed her arm, hoping to dislodge his wife from the sorceress's grasp. As soon as he touched his daughter, he was slammed across the hall and landed in a heap next to my mom, who was just barely conscious. 

Luckily, the energy needed to throw Uncle Squall across the room was enough to lessen the power on Aunt Rinoa and Raven dropped her. She stood still for a moment and cocked her head as if she were listening, then started off again towards the main gate. We watched as she got there and then disappeared down the hall. 

"Quick!" Luke shouted and hurried to my mom's classroom, which had a large window with a view of the front gate. We all rushed inside and crowded around the window just as Raven emerged from the Garden. She slowly walked up onto a nearby plateau and suddenly, even though there was no wind, her hair began to blow wildly around her head. Her clothes flapped around her body like wings and suddenly, a lightning bolt cut the sky and struck the plateau and most likely, Raven as well. When the glare from the lightning disappeared, so had Raven.


	8. Aftermath

**

Chapter 8: Aftermath

**

After Raven disappeared, the six of us hurried to the elevator and rode it back down to the first floor. Because Kayla had lost her crutches in the struggle, Tal and I were practically dragging her down the hall as we hurried to our parents. When we got to them, Uncle Squall was awake and kneeling next to Aunt Rinoa, who wasn't moving. Fearing the worst, I watched for a second until I saw that her chest was rising and falling shallowly. She was alive, but barely. Uncle Zell, the only one who wasn't hurt, was still sitting next to Aunt Cammi, who hadn't moved at all. I was almost certain she was dead but when Cale inquired as to his mother's well being, Uncle Zell assured him she was alive, although badly wounded. He scooped Aunt Cammi up and hurried to the infirmary with her. Cale stayed behind to help the rest of us. 

After seeing that Aunt Rinoa and Cammi were alive, I went immediately to my dad to see how badly he was hurt. Across the hallway, Luke knelt next to our mother, who was sitting up and talking with him. When I knelt down next to my dad, I grabbed his hand and patted it. 

"Daddy?" I called, tears slipping down my cheeks and burning in the cuts I had received from the flying marble. "Daddy, can you hear me?" 

He groaned once and his eyes fluttered open. He blinked a couple of times and then focused on me. "Kaisa?" 

"Yeah Daddy, it's me," I assured and the tears came faster but they were tears of relief. He was alive. 

My dad sat up and cupped his head with one gloved hand. He looked around the hall. "Where's your mother? Is she all right?" 

"She's over there." I pointed to where Luke was helping her to her feet. Once she was standing, she shakily walked over to us. Luke followed. 

"Seifer, are you all right?" my mom asked and knelt down next to us. 

"Yeah," he assured with a smile, "What about you?" He reached out and brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes. 

"I'm okay," she answered with a smile of her own. "Can you sit up?" 

"Yeah." After a few curses and hisses of pain, my dad managed to get himself into a sitting position. My mom wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow and kissed his cheek. 

"Are you sure you're all right?" she persisted. 

"Hyne woman, I said I'm fine," my dad said, annoyed. He never liked to be coddled. 

Taking no offense at his tone, my mother nodded. "We need to get to the infirmary." She looked around the hall. "How are the others?" 

"Uncle Zell took Aunt Cammi to the infirmary already," I informed, "She was alive but hurt pretty bad I think." 

As I spoke, Uncle Squall scooped up Aunt Rinoa and he and Tal headed towards the infirmary as well. I could tell that Tal was worried about his mother. He clutched one of her pale, limp hands in his own and kept whispering things to her unconscious body. 

"Rinoa…" my mother gasped when she saw the condition of her long-time friend. 

"Raven tried to steal her powers," I explained, "She's alive though." 

"What happened to Raven?" my mother asked. 

Luke and I looked at each other and then he answered. "She left the Garden and then disappeared into a flash of lightning." 

Our parents stared at him for a few seconds as if they thought he was lying, then looked back at their other companions. Aunt Fujin had recovered from her injury, as had Uncle Irvine. Fujin went to Uncle Raijin and was unusually gentle as she tried to bring him back to consciousness. Uncle Irvine, after a few words with Vaughn and Kayla, picked up Aunt Selphie and cradling her like a baby, headed towards the infirmary. 

My mother got to her feet, as did my father. My mother swayed as she stood and my father caught her as she started to fall. He scooped her up and turned towards the infirmary. 

"Seifer, put me down!" she ordered, "I'm fine!" 

"Like hell you are," he growled, "You're going to the infirmary whether you like it or not." He turned to us. "Are either of you hurt?" We shook our heads. "Luke, go and help Fujin with Raijin. If you need a stretcher, come and get one. Baby girl, you should get those cuts looked at." 

I stared at him in confusion for a second, then remembered the slices on my face. I nodded as he turned and headed towards the infirmary, limping slightly. Luke looked down at me, then went to help Aunt Fujin and Uncle Raijin. I considered going too, then decided to go over to where Kayla and Vaughn were. Kayla was still crying slightly and Vaughn had his arm around her, trying to comfort her. They both looked up as I approached. 

"How's Aunt Selphie?" I inquired. 

"She's still unconscious," Kayla informed. 

"She'll be fine," Vaughn assured, "She's just winded from the spell. It shouldn't take too long for her to come around." He frowned at me. "You okay?" 

"Yeah," I replied, "Why?" 

"Those cuts on your face look pretty serious," he said. He reached forward and touched my cheek. His finger came away wet with blood. "You should get those taken care of." 

"Dr. Kadowaki has bigger things to worry about than little cuts like these," I insisted, "I'll be fine." 

"You should still get them cleaned out," he told me, "They could get infected. Come on, I have a first aide kit in my room." 

I hesitated a moment, then helping Kayla, I followed Vaughn to the dorms. We walked all the way around the Garden so that we wouldn't be going right through the carnage. We heard several people in the hall where Raven had attacked and I assumed they were treating the wounded and getting them to the infirmary, and tending to the dead. We arrived at the Dormitory hall and I couldn't help but glance in the direction of the battlefield. Several SeeDs were loading others onto stretchers or zipping them up into black bags. I turned away and caught Kayla's eyes. She had seen it too. We stared at each other for a minute, then followed Vaughn to his dorm. 

Inside Vaughn's room, I was surprised to see that it was pretty neat. The bed was made and there were only a few things out of place, such as a few dirty T-shirts and a pair of boots in the middle of the floor. I expected the entire room to be in chaos. As we entered, he picked up the T-shirts and tossed them into the closet before sliding the door shut, then kicked the boots under the bed. 

"Sorry about the mess," he apologized as he grabbed a chair for Kayla, "I didn't expect to have company." He put the chair in front of the bed and Kayla let go of me and sat down. He turned to me. "Have a seat and I'll be right back." 

I looked around and seeing no other chair, perched lightly on the end of the bed. My eyes traveled around the room, checking out his living quarters. It felt kind of weird to be in a guy's room, and it was even weirder to be sitting on his bed. I felt a light blush color my cheeks. 

"If I were you, I'd be careful where I sat on that bed," Kayla warned with a wrinkled nose, "Hyne only knows what kind of things are on it." 

I grimaced and didn't contemplate her meaning. A second later, Vaughn returned from the bathroom with a small, white, plastic box with a red cross on it. He sat down next to me on the bed and opened it up. He pulled out a small package that I recognized as a wet wipe and tore it open. The scent of disinfectant filled the room and he leaned forward. I turned to face him and he began to wipe the blood off of the wounds with the cloth. 

"Turn more towards me," he instructed and I had no choice but to scoot farther on the bed and cross my legs in front of me so he could get to the other side of my face. Once the blood was cleaned away, he opened another disinfectant cloth and wiped the clean wounds with it. After the wounds were disinfected, he pulled out a tube of Neosporin and coated the scratches lightly with it. After they were disinfected and treated, he coated each one with a liquid bandage. 

"There you go," he said after he had finished. "Hopefully, they won't leave scars. It'd be a shame to ruin a beautiful face like yours." 

My face turned bright red and the scratches throbbed. I turned away from him. "Thanks." 

"No problem," he assured as I stood up quickly. Kayla, who had remained silent, did as well. 

"We'd better go," I mumbled. 

"Yeah," Kayla agreed as she held onto my shoulder. "We'd better go see if we can find my crutches." 

"If you see my hat, let me know okay?" Vaughn said. 

"Okay." I hadn't noticed it until now, but he wasn't wearing his cowboy hat. 

Kayla and I left the room and headed down the corridor to our own rooms. 

"Maybe we should get your crutches later," I suggested as we neared our rooms, "We don't want to get in the way." 

"Okay," Kayla agreed, "I want to change anyway." 

Both of us were still wet from our dive into the fountain. I agreed as we stopped outside our rooms. 

"I'll be over once I change," she told me. 

"Okay." 

She disappeared into her room and I went into my own. I got a pair of jeans and a T-shirt out of my closet and changed quickly. I was sitting on the bed wondering how things were in the infirmary when Kayla knocked. I let her in and she came over to the bed. We both sat down and looked at each other. She had finally stopped crying on the way to Vaughn's room and my cuts had given her a moment to forget about what had happened but now it was catching up to her again and she looked at me, fear in her eyes. 

"What happened?" 

I didn't need to ask her what she meant. I already knew. "The sorceress got her." 

"How?" 

"I don't know," I admitted and then fell silent. If the sorceress was powerful enough to take over Raven, why not others? Why not my dad or mom? Why not Matron or Aunt Rinoa? The possibilities were endless. 

"We're not even safe when we're on the move, are we?" Kayla asked, voicing the same thing I had just been thinking. 

"Not really, no." 

She nodded but didn't say anything. Finally, she spoke. "Do you think everybody's okay?" 

"I'm sure they're fine," I comforted and hugged her briefly. "Your mom's a fighter. The spell just dazed her. She'll be fine in a few hours." 

"What about the others?" she persisted, "Aunt Cammi and Aunt Rinoa?" 

"I don't know." 

"How many others were injured, do you think?" she questioned after a moment. 

"I have no idea," I told her. 

"There was probably quite a few people in the cafeteria," Kayla surmised, "She could've hurt a lot of them." 

"I know." 

"I wonder where Gavin, Morgan and Kit are," Kayla commented, "And Raine. Do you think they were in the cafeteria at the time?" 

I shuddered at the thought. They weren't even SeeDs yet. "I hope not." 

"Do you think maybe we should call them and see if they're all right?" Kayla suggested. 

"They're probably in the infirmary with Aunt Cammi and Aunt Rinoa," I said. 

"Yeah," Kayla agreed, "Probably." She paused. "Do you think they'd let me go and see my mom?" 

"You'd just be in the way," I told her, "She's not hurt like Aunt Cammi and Aunt Rinoa. There's no reason to go." 

"I guess you're right," she admitted reluctantly. 

"Besides," I added, "Once everything calms down, I'm sure your dad will come and get you." 

Kayla nodded. She was silent a second, then looked up at me, a questioning look on her face. "It just occurred to me that my brother was flirting with you." 

Completely caught off guard by her subject change, I gaped at her. "Huh?" 

"After he finished cleaning your scratches," she reminded, "He said something about it being a terrible waste if your beautiful face was scarred." 

I remained silent, trying to think of something to stay. Kayla spoke again before I had the chance. 

"Now that I think about it, he was pretty much flirting with you the whole time," she said, "The whole thing about cleaning your scratches and stuff. That was classic Kinneas Charm." 

"He was just being nice," I defended lamely. 

"Vaughn is never 'just nice,'" Kayla told me, "He's only nice if he's gonna get something in return." 

"Well I'm definitely not giving him anything," I assured with a slight blush. 

Kayla stared at me again, this time with a slight smile. "You're lying." 

"Excuse me?" 

"You were flirting back." 

"I was not!" I exclaimed. 

"You went to his room to take care of your injuries when you know full well that I have a first aid kit in my room," Kayla smirked, "So do you." 

"So?" I said childishly, then trying to redeem my pride, added, "Vaughn was just being nice. If I had turned him down it would've been rude." 

"You like him don't you?" she accused. 

"No!" 

"Liar!" Kayla shouted with a laugh. "You like Vaughn! You like Vaughn!" 

"I do not!" I contradicted, my face turning even redder. 

"Then why are you blushing?" she inquired. 

"I'm not!" Yeah, that was a lie. 

"Kaisa likes Vaughn!" she chanted in a singsong voice, "Kaisa likes Vaughn!" 

Having no other defense, I blurted out, "Yeah well, you like Tal!" 

She stopped teasing me and the smile left her face. "I do not!" 

"Now who's lying?" 

Luckily, before any more damage could be done by our accusations and childish teasing, my phone rang. I answered it quickly. "Hello?" 

"Hi Kaisa, it's Uncle Irvine. Is Kayla in there?" 

"Yes." 

"Could you tell her to come to the infirmary?" he asked over the phone, "Her mom's awake and wants to see her." 

"Sure, I'll tell her." 

"Thanks." 

I hung up the receiver and turned to Kayla. "That was your dad. He says your mom's awake and wants to see you." 

Kayla was off the bed and hopping to the door before I had finished relaying the message. She noticed that I wasn't following and turned back to me. "Come on! I can't hop all the way there by myself!" 

I joined her by the door and, leaning on me, we made our way towards the infirmary. When we got there, we weren't surprised to see that the waiting room was filled with SeeDs, cadets and underclassmen. Most were waiting to hear news about their friends but others were waiting to be treated for minor injuries. We looked for a place to sit, but all of the chairs were full. We decided to lean against the wall by the door and wait. We weren't there two minutes before Uncle Irvine came out of the back, where the exam rooms were. 

"Hey," he greeted and hugged his daughter. "Your mom wants to see you." 

"Okay," she nodded. I could tell she was trying to be brave but she was fighting to hold back tears. 

"I'll see you later," I told her and turned to leave. 

"Wait Kaisa," Uncle Irvine called. I turned to face him. "I think your dad wants to see you. He's in with your mom. They're in room 4." 

"Thanks," I said and followed the two Kinneas' back to the exam rooms. They entered exam room 3 and I went one door farther to 4. I knocked quietly. From inside, my dad answered. 

"What?" he growled, obviously thinking I was an unwanted visitor. 

I opened the door and peeked in. "Dad?" 

"Oh," he smiled, "Come in, baby girl." 

I opened the door wider and slipped in, then closed it behind me. I walked across the small room to where my dad was sitting next to the hospital bed that held my mom, clutching her hand. She was either unconscious or sleeping, neither of which made sense. She had been conscious last time I had seen her. 

"What happened?" I asked, pulling up a chair next to my father and eyeing my mother with worry. 

"She's fine," he assured, "Dr. Kadowaki sedated her so she could heal faster. You know your mother. She insisted that she was fine and wanted to help the doc with triage. Sedating her was the only thing we could do to keep her in bed." 

I smiled, thinking about the fight that my mother probably put up. "Is she gonna be okay?" 

"Yeah," my dad answered and stroked my mother's pale hand, "she just needs to rest to get her strength back. The spell didn't do much damage and she only got a mild concussion from slamming into the wall." 

"What about you?" I continued, "I noticed you were limping when you carried Mom in." 

He grinned. "Nothing a little Curaga won't cure." He looked from my mom's sleeping form to me. "So, how are you doing? Did you get those cuts taken care of?" 

"Yeah," I nodded, "Vaughn cleaned them for me." Even as the words were coming out of my mouth, I realized what a mistake it had been to utter them. 

"Vaughn?" my father spat, his features twisting in anger, "Vaughn Kinneas? That perverted little cowboy punk? He touched you? Where is he? I'll kill him!" 

"Calm down!" I insisted, "It's no big deal. He just cleaned the cuts. Isn't that what you told me to do, get my cuts taken care of?" 

"That Kinneas kid wants to take care of more than your cuts," my father told me. I rolled my eyes. "You stay away from him. He's bad news." 

"I'm sixteen years old Daddy," I sighed, "You can't protect me forever." 

"The hell I can't!" he said. "I'm your father!" 

I was really getting tired of his overprotective behavior. If he was this bad now, I shuddered to think what would happen if I ever wanted to go on a date. Thank Hyne my mother was a little more levelheaded, although she would be just as quick to hurt someone if they did something to me. 

"I'm gonna go back to my room," I told him and stood up. "Call me if Mom wakes up, okay?" 

The anger melted from his features and, letting go of my mom's hand, he stood up next to me. "I'm sorry Kaisa. It's just…I didn't have parents to look out for me when I was your age and neither did your mother. All this growing up parenting stuff is new to me." 

"Luke was sixteen once too," I reminded. 

"Luke's a boy," my dad stated, "The only thing I had to worry about with him was some girl's dad trying to kill him." 

I smirked. "What makes you think dads are that crazy?" 

"Ha ha," my dad grinned, "Point taken. Look baby girl, I just don't want you to get hurt and that Kinneas kid is a heartbreaker." 

"Don't worry about me, Dad," I comforted, "I'm an Almasy, I can take care of myself." 

"I know." He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. He pulled away slightly and kissed the top of my head. "I'll call you when your mom wakes up." 

"Okay." 

I left the infirmary and headed back to my dorm. I contemplated waiting for Kayla but I didn't know how long she was going to be and I didn't want to stand around in the overcrowded waiting room. Once I was back in my room, I flopped down on my bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out just what in the name of Hyne was going on in my life. I sighed. Growing up sucks. 

I laid in my room for about an hour, contemplating the events in my life, before Kayla returned from the infirmary. She knocked on my door and I answered it. I was surprised to see Vaughn was with her, but then I quickly deduced that he had helped her back after she was done visiting. 

"So, how's Aunt Selphie?" I asked. 

"She's doing okay." Kayla let go of Vaughn and hopped into the room. I stepped aside to let her by and was unhappy to see that Vaughn followed her in. I sighed and locked the door behind them. Kayla got to the bed and sat down heavily. I joined her. 

"The spell zapped her pretty good," Vaughn informed as he too made himself comfortable on my bed. I scowled at him but he seemed not to notice. "Dr. Kadowaki has her sedated to speed up the healing process. She should be completely fine in a couple of days." 

That was the great thing about magic, if it didn't kill you, it only made you stronger. 

"We saw Luke on the way out," Kayla informed, "He said to tell you that your mom is still out but she should be awake before tonight. We also saw Tal. He looked white as a sheet but he said that Aunt Rinoa's stabilized. The stuff that Raven was sucking out of her was her sorceress powers and until they replenish themselves, she'll be unconscious. He said the doctor said that once they do replenish, however, she'll be as good as new." 

"How long will that take?" I inquired. 

"Tal said the doctor told him she should be fine in a few days," Kayla replied. 

"What about the others?" I asked, "Uncle Raijin and Aunt Cammi?" 

"I don't know," Kayla said, "I didn't get the chance to find out." 

I nodded and the three of us were silent. I looked over at Vaughn and saw that he was wearing his hat again. 

"I see you found your hat." 

He looked up at me. "Actually, this is a backup hat. I haven't been able to look for the other one. They have the entire area between the cafeteria and the infirmary blocked off to everyone but the medical crews." 

"Which is why I still don't have my crutches," Kayla explained, "I asked Dr. Kadowaki for another pair but she was out of my size." 

I nodded and we fell into silence again. We all jumped as suddenly the intercom rang to life. 

"Attention everyone," Xu's voice emitted from the small speaker, "In light of recent events, Headmaster Cid had decided to keep the Garden stationary for a few more hours until the situation can be resolved. The cafeteria and the Quad will be closed until further notice, as well as the area surrounding each of those rooms. Headmaster Deline of Galbadia Garden has graciously allowed members of Balamb Garden to dine in their cafeteria for as long as we are here. If you intend to do so, bring your Garden ID. G Garden officials will be checking them. Except for moving between the two Gardens, Headmaster Cid has declared that no one leave the Garden for any purpose and that while in transit between Gardens, move in groups and as quickly as possible. We expect to be mobile again before nightfall. Also, a list of the injured will be uploaded to Garden's computers and updated every half hour so that you may check on loved ones or friends. The list will be accessible from any Garden terminal connected to the Garden Network. Please use this list and refrain from calling the infirmary. That is all." 

After the intercom fell silent, the three of us looked at each other but didn't say anything. Finally, Vaughn scoffed. 

"Headmaster Deline has graciously allowed us to dine in his cafeteria," he repeated, "I wonder how much gil Cid had to shell out to pull that one off?" 

It was widely known that Headmaster Deline of Galbadia Garden was not a generous person. 

"Who cares?" Kayla grinned, "We get to dine with the Galbadians. There's got to be some cute SeeDs over there, right Kaisa?" Her grin widened into a sinister smile. "Oh, that's right. You have your sights set on someone already, don't you Kai?" 

My eyes widened as a blush erupted on my face and I glared at her with a warning. _Kayla Allie Kinneas, don't you dare!_

Vaughn smiled and looked amused. "Really, who?" 

Kayla turned to him and I was just about to lunge for her throat when she answered. "It's none of your business. It's between me and Kaisa." 

I sighed with relief but could still feel the blush burning my cheeks. I had the abstract thought that if I kept up with the blushing; my face was going to stay that way. Kayla turned back to me and with the smile still in place, winked mischievously. At that moment, I felt like killing her. 

"Aw come on!" Vaughn persisted, "You brought it up, now you have to tell me. Maybe I could talk to him for you?" 

I glared at Kayla for a few more seconds, then turned to her brother. "I don't have my sights set on anyone." 

"She's in denial," Kayla informed in a loud whisper. "She won't admit it." 

"Oh, I see," Vaughn nodded, "She's embarrassed, which means it must be someone who you know. Let me think." He turned his eyes towards the ceiling and rubbed his chin in a pose of contemplation. Then he snapped his fingers and looked back at us. "I've got it! It's Tal!" 

"No!" Kayla and I both insisted at the same time, but with different tones. 

Seeing my chance to get even with Kayla, even though I had already talked to Vaughn about it, I smirked. "You've got the wrong girl if you think I like Tal. You need to talk to your sister about that." 

Kayla's face turned beet red and she glared at me. "I do not like Tal!" 

Grinning at having turned the tables, I suddenly marveled at our ability to have a little fun even after all that had happened recently. I guess without the laughter, we'd never be able get through the hard times. 

My attention was drawn back to Kayla as she addressed her brother. "Fine, you want to know who Kaisa likes?" 

Before she could continue, I pounced on her and clamped my hand over her mouth. "She's lying to you. I don't like anyone, she just thinks I do." 

"She likes you Vaughn!" Kayla informed, but my hand muffled the words so they came out like "She looks ooo Ba!" I looked at Vaughn quickly, hoping he hadn't deciphered her words. 

"She likes who?" he asked. 

"Ooo!" Kayla repeated but she was still incoherent. 

"I can't understand you." 

"Ooo! OOO! She looks ooo!" 

"Zip your trap Kinneas!" I yelled. 

Kayla struggled under my hand and managed to wiggle free. She sat up again, gasping for air but with a grin on her face. 

"If you tell him, so help me Hyne, I will never talk to you ever again, Kayla," I warned. 

"So then you admit it?" she asked gleefully. 

"No." 

"Then why are you so mad?" she inquired. 

"Because, that's how rumors get started," I told her. 

Kayla was silent for a moment. "Fine, I won't say anything else."   
  
"Aw!" Vaughn whined, "Come on! That's not fair!" 

"It doesn't matter anyway because it's not true," I assured him. 

"Well, if it's not true, why won't you tell me?" 

"Because I can tell that you don't believe me when I say that I don't like this guy and if I tell you, he's going to find out." 

Next to me, Kayla snickered. 

"I promise I won't tell a soul," Vaughn swore. 

"Now who's lying?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow. 

"Fine," he sighed, "Don't tell me. I'll find out eventually." 

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the wall. 

The three of us fell silent again but the silence was interrupted this time by Kayla's stomach grumbling. Vaughn and I looked at her questioningly and she smiled sheepishly. 

"We missed lunch, remember?" she said to me. 

"Yeah." 

"Wanna head over to G Garden and get something to eat?" Vaughn offered. 

"Yeah," Kayla agreed quickly. 

"Let's stop by the infirmary and check on our parents first," I suggested. 

"We can check on them with the computer," Kayla reminded and pointed to the laptop sitting on my nightstand. My parents had bought it for me for my sixteenth birthday. 

"Oh yeah." I plugged the computer into the Garden Network and switched it on. We waited patiently while it came up and then I clicked on the Garden Network icon, which allowed me access to the entire Garden Network. The Network opened and provided me with a list of options to choose from, such as Garden activities, Garden mission statement, Garden schedule, etc. I clicked on Infirmary updates and a list appeared of all the names of the patients in the infirmary. I scrolled down the As until I found my mom. 

**Almasy, Quistis A**

**Patient Number:** 23987 

**Condition:** Stable, sedated   
**Nature of Injuries:** Magic spell to abdomen, slight concussion 

Well, that was good. She was okay but still out. I scrolled down to the Ds to check on Aunt Cammi and Uncle Raijin. 

**Denko, Raijin L**

**Patient Number:** 24084 

**Condition:** Stable, awake   
**Nature of Injuries:** Magic spell to abdomen, mild concussion 

"Uncle Raijin's stable and awake," I informed and continued scrolling. 

**Dincht, Cammila E**

**Patient Number:** 23978 

**Condition:** Critical, unconscious/sedated   
**Nature of Injuries:** Severe Magic impact, severe concussion, cuts and contusions. 

I read the diagnosis of Aunt Cammi to Vaughn and Kayla. 

"Do you think she's gonna be all right?" Kayla asked fearfully. 

"I don't know," I admitted. 

"Don't worry," Vaughn assured with a grin, "She's tough. She'd have to be to stay married to Zell." 

Kayla and I chuckled at that remark and I scrolled down some more. 

**Kinneas, Selphie A**

**Patient Number:** 23981 

**Condition:** Stable, sedated   
**Nature of Injuries:** Magic spell to abdomen, concussion 

"Your mom's been sedated again," I informed them. 

"Why?" Kayla's face melted into a mask of worry. 

"So she can heal faster," I reminded, "The best way to recover from a magic injury is to sleep it off." 

"Oh yeah." 

Last, I checked on Aunt Rinoa. 

**Leonhart, Rinoa C**

**Patient Number:** 23980 

**Condition:** Critical/Stable, unconscious, sedated   
**Nature of Injuries:** Severe magic related wounds, loss of some sorceress powers 

After reading the screen to the Kinneas', I turned to Kayla. "Do you think we should scan the names for anyone else we know?" 

"Yeah," Kayla agreed. 

I turned back to the screen and started back up at the top, scrolling slowly down through the names. Some I recognized but didn't really know who they were. The first one I came to that I really knew was Tristen. Kayla saw his name about the same time I did and we both crowded close to read it. 

**Denko, Tristen F**

**Patient Number:** 24045 

**Condition:** Stable, sedated   
**Nature of Injuries:** Slight magic shock, mild concussion 

Note by Dr. Kadowaki: Mr. Denko was sedated for his own good and the safety of those around him, as he became belligerent and hostile while being treated. He will remain under sedation for as long as I deem fit. Signed Dr. Kadowaki 

"Wow," Kayla whispered. 

"He must've really lost it," I stated. 

"Talking about Tristen?" Vaughn asked. We nodded. "Luke told me that he was trying to leave the infirmary and go after Raven. He ended up punching out one of the nurses before Dr. Kadowaki managed to sedate him." 

"Are you serious?" Kayla questioned, her eyes wide. 

"Yep." 

"Wow," I repeated, much like Kayla had done. It was hard to believe that Tristen Denko would ever lose his cool. I guess it just proves how much he loves Raven. I suddenly found myself wondering what it would be like to find love like that. I quickly pushed the thought out of my mind and continued with the list. 

We only found one other name that we knew, Ariel Dunton, one of the girls who had passed the SeeD exam with us. She was in stable condition, with nothing more serious than a minor gash on her forehead from flying shrapnel. She was expected to be discharged before the end of the day. 

After checking out the infirmary reports, I shut down my computer and the three of us left my dorm. Kayla was in between Vaughn and me, using us for support as she hopped down the hallway with us. We were headed towards the front gates when Luke and Cale joined us. 

"There you are," Luke called, "We've been looking all over for you." 

"I've been around," Vaughn assured. 

"We were just on our way to G Garden to get some grub," Cale informed, "You game?" 

"Always." 

"Have you been in to see Mom recently?" I asked Luke. 

"No," Luke replied, "The old man chased me out. He said that she needed rest." 

"She's sedated, isn't she?" 

"Yeah," Luke nodded, "But Dad said something about her being able to hear even though she's unconscious or something. I don't know. You know how he is when it comes to Mom. He just wants to make sure that she heals as quickly as possible." 

I nodded, understanding what he meant. My dad was fiercely protective of my mom. I always kind of figured his overprotective streak emerged because of the rough childhood and adolescence he'd had. I once heard him tell my mom before she was going on a big mission that everything he'd ever loved in his life had been taken away from him at some point and he didn't want to lose her. 

The five of us continued on to Galbadia Garden, constantly looking over our shoulders in search of any sign that Raven had returned. We all kept our hands close to our weapons and didn't relax until we entered the red Garden, all though it was a false sense of safety and we knew it. 

After showing our Garden IDs to a G Garden official outside the cafeteria, we were allowed to enter and get our food. The five of us took a table together and dug into the Galbadia food. 

"This stuff is crap," Cale commented as he took a bite of what was supposed to be macaroni and cheese. 

"Of course it is," Luke agreed, "Nobody has a better kitchen staff that Balamb Garden." 

They fell silent again as they tried to digest the strange tasting food. I didn't really have a problem with it because most of it tasted like cardboard. I think I was still a little in shock from the events of the day and it was starting to catch up with me. 

After a few minutes, the boys began to talk again while Kayla and I remained silent. 

"I heard my dad talking to your dad," Luke started, directing the words at Vaughn, "He said that as soon as they can, he wants to go after the sorceress." 

"You're kidding right?" Vaughn chuckled, "Like either one of them is in any state to fight, let alone against the sorceress!" 

"That's the same thing I thought," Luke agreed, ignoring the hideous Galbadian food, "Even if they wanted to fight, they were hurt during the struggle too and even if they went, they'd be too preoccupied worrying about our moms back here." 

"When do you think they'll go?" Cale asked. 

"I heard my dad say something about leaving two days from now," Luke informed. 

"Two days?" Cale repeated, "There's no way. Like you said, they'd be way too distracted." 

"That's not even the best part," Luke assured, "My dad then joined up with Squall and Zell and they agreed to the plan. And here's the clincher, they aren't going to take anyone else. Just the four of them are going to go and fight alone against the sorceress." 

"Are you serious?" I demanded. "That's crazy! They'd get killed for sure!" 

"I know," Luke agreed, then turned back to his friends. "So I figure, if we go before they do, we can take on the sorceress and defeat her before they leave." 

Vaughn and Cale looked at him, then slowly nodded in agreement. I stared at them in disbelief. 

"If four of the Legendary SeeDs can't defeat the sorceress alone, what in the name of Hyne makes you think you three can?" 

"I didn't say the four of them couldn't do it," Luke contradicted, "if they were 100%, but they aren't. All of them were injured or would be distracted by thinking about their wives or both. There's no way they could pull it off. Us three, however, wouldn't be side-tracked worrying about what's going on here." 

"You're just as stupid as they are," I insisted, "but if you're gonna do this, take us with you." 

"Yeah right," Luke scoffed, "Why would we do that?" 

"Because you're going to need us," Kayla told him, speaking for the first time. 

"No," Luke said simply, "There's no way you're coming along. It's way too dangerous." 

"Don't try to pull that big brother protection crap on me," I snapped, "you know damn well that I can fight just as well as any of you and so can Kayla and Tal. You just don't want us to go because you don't want to have to share the glory with your little sister." 

"That's bull," Luke insisted, "Fighting a sorceress is dangerous business. Do you have any idea what Dad and Mom would do to me if I let you come along?" 

"They're not going to get the chance," I assured him, "Because if the three of you go alone, you aren't going to be coming back. You need us." 

"Like hell we do," Luke said. 

"Fine!" I stood up and threw away my trash, "Go on a suicide mission. See if I care!" I turned and stormed out of the Galbadian cafeteria. I could hear Kayla calling after me but I didn't stop. I hurried out the front of the Garden and by myself, went back to my own Garden. I stalked down the halls to my dorm and locked myself in. 

Once in my room, I let out a frustrated yell and after throwing a few pillows around the room, sank onto my bed. I was so mad at Luke I would've punched him right in the face if he'd been there. It wasn't fair that he was acting like he was a superior SeeD. He wasn't. Suddenly, I realized that in order for them to go on this mission, they would have to sneak out of the Garden and steal a mode of transportation as well. I smiled, knowing that I now had something on them. If they didn't agree to let us go, I could simply snitch them out. Then no one would be going. I didn't really want to do that because then my dad and the others would go so I hoped Luke wouldn't test my determination by trying to go without me. I decided to keep my little plan to myself until the time was right. If I let Luke know what I was going to do too far ahead of time, he would devise a plan to counter my own. It was best if he was kept in the dark. 

About ten minutes later, Kayla returned from G Garden. She was accompanied by Vaughn, Luke and Cale, but they left her at the door and went somewhere else. Once inside my dorm, I told Kayla about my plans to blackmail the guys into taking us with them. She agreed and promised not to say a word of it to anyone. 

By dinnertime, the cafeteria was reopened, although some parts were roped off because they were still damaged. We were met by Tal inside and the three of us had dinner together. We talked about how our parents were doing and when they would be recovered. Aunt Rinoa had been upgraded from critical to stable, but she still hadn't regained consciousness. While we ate, Kayla and I told Tal about the guys' plan to go after the sorceress and about our own plan to accompany them. He agreed to go along with it and all three of us vowed to be ready to leave at a moments notice. 

After dinner, my dad called my dorm to tell me that my mom was awake. I went and visited her for about a half hour, then returned to my room. Because of the hectic day and frightening events, I had no trouble falling asleep, although my dreams unusually dark.


	9. Action

**Chapter 9: Action**

The next morning I woke up more exhausted than I had been when I had fallen asleep the previous night. My head hurt, as did the cuts on my face and virtually every bone in my body. The after-affects of the "fight" with Raven, I guess. After groaning a few times and stretching gingerly, I got out of bed and realized that the Garden was moving. Apparently I had slept through the announcements and the departure from Galbadia. I looked out the window, trying to ascertain some sense as to where we were, but all I saw was blue ocean. 

Once I was out of bed, I took a shower, then got dressed for the day. After emerging from the bathroom, I plugged my laptop into the Garden Network and checked up on the infirmary patients. My mom was listed as stable and awake, and was scheduled for discharge sometime this afternoon. Aunt Selphie was stable and awake as well, but her discharge wasn't scheduled until tomorrow morning. Aunt Rinoa was stable but sedated, which suggested that she had woken up sometime during the night or early morning. Uncle Raijin was already discharged. He had left the infirmary about an hour before I woke up. Tristen was still sedated as well and Aunt Cammi was still in critical condition. 

As I backtracked to the main page of the Garden Network, preparing to close out, a memo at the bottom of the page caught my eye. It was titled "Important" but had no description as to it's contents. I clicked on it out of curiosity and saw that it was a memo about the SeeDs and cadets that had been killed during the attack yesterday. It said that a funeral would be held today at 1000 hours and that while not mandatory, it was recommended that all SeeDs attend to show their support. It said that after the funeral, the bodies would be shipped back to the parents to be buried in whatever way the family saw fit. It also had a list of the names of the deceased. After scanning the six names, I was relieved to find out that I didn't know any of them personally, although my heart still went out to their families and friends. 

I closed out of the Garden Network and shut my computer off, then decided to go get some breakfast. I called Kayla and after a short conversation, met her in her room. She had retrieved her crutches from Dr. Kadowaki, where they had been taken after discovery in the brush around the fountain. 

"Dr. Kadowaki says that by tomorrow or the day after, I won't need them anymore," Kayla informed, "She says my ankle's pretty much healed. It doesn't even hurt anymore." 

We called Tal from Kayla's room to tell him where we were going and then after meeting him in the hall, went on to breakfast. Like we had been doing for the past couple of days, Kayla got us a table while the two of us got trays of food. When we were all seated and the food was passed out, Tal told us that Aunt Rinoa had awakened briefly last night around midnight. 

"My dad told me this morning," he explained in between bites of his breakfast, "He said that all of a sudden, her eyes opened and she looked around the room like she was scared. She tried to sit up but my dad held her down. She fought back weakly and kept mumbling about someone coming for her. She kept struggling and insisting that she had to escape until Dr. Kadowaki gave her a sedative through her IV line." 

Tal looked like he himself might become ill after recounting the story to us. 

"Don't worry Tal," I tried to comfort, "Your mom's gonna be fine. She's just a little disoriented because of her ordeal. I'm sure next time she wakes up, things will be better." 

"Yeah," Tal nodded, but I could tell that he didn't believe me. 

"So," Kayla began, trying to change the subject, "Are we gonna go to the funeral?" 

Tal winced and nodded and I answered. "Yeah. It's the least we can do for them." 

"What are we supposed to wear?" Kayla inquired. While traditional funerals called for the wearing of black or other dark colors, I thought it would be appropriate if we wore our SeeD uniforms. Kayla and Tal agreed and after breakfast, we went back to our rooms to get ready. 

After all of us were dressed, we had about an hour until the funeral started so we decided to gather in my room to wait. We talked about mundane things, trying to keep our minds off of what had happened and what the aftermath had been. I could tell that Tal was taking it harder than the rest of us because it had been his sister who had committed the atrocities, even though it hadn't really been her. He was also upset about his mom and was worried about her too. I felt bad for him but I knew there was nothing I could say or do that would help him or comfort him. 

When it was time to head to the funeral, the three of us left my room and somberly headed towards the Quad, were the funeral was to be held. We saw several other SeeDs in uniform, as well as quite a few cadets in uniform. All were headed to the Quad. 

When we arrived, we had trouble finding seats. We finally managed to find three together and we sat down. We were towards the middle of the gathered mourners, so we could see half the people that filled the room. I was surprised to see my mom and dad, both dressed in their SeeD uniforms, sitting near the front of the room. My mom appeared to be in a wheelchair and she looked a little pale, but other than that, she looked fine. I also saw Uncle Squall, Uncle Irvine, Uncle Raijin, Aunt Fujin and Uncle Zell. All of them were dressed in their SeeD uniforms as well. 

After everyone had been seated, the service began. Headmaster Cid said a few words, as did Uncle Squall and my mom. A few SeeDs who had known the deceased stood up and expressed their feelings. All in all, it was a beautiful tribute to the lives of those who had died, but it was depressing nonetheless. After about an hour and a half, the service concluded. Those who wished could stay behind and view the bodies but since I didn't know any of them, I figured I wasn't obliged to do so and I really didn't think Tal or Kayla should. Kayla was so sensitive about death and Tal couldn't help but remember who had caused their demise in the first place. 

The three of us stood up and followed most of the others present out into the halls. Some stopped to talk with friends and express their sorrow at the deaths of their comrades, but Kayla, Tal and I kept walking until we were a ways from the Quad. I could see that Kayla had been crying and Tal looked terrible as well. I hugged both of them and then, seeing my parents approaching, waited until they joined us. 

"What are you doing out of the infirmary?" I asked my mom, "I thought you weren't getting discharged until this afternoon?" 

"She insisted on coming to the funeral," my dad replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Dr. Kadowaki told her no but she wouldn't listen. Finally, the doc agreed but she had to stay in the wheelchair." 

"Which is unnecessary," my mother assured, "I feel much better." 

"You still need to take it easy until you regain your strength," my dad insisted. 

"Really Seifer," my mom scoffed, "Do we have to have this argument again?" 

My dad muttered something under his breath, which sounded a lot like "Hyne damned woman, you aren't always right" and then they said goodbye and headed back to the infirmary, leaving us alone in the hallway. Having no reason to stay there, we headed back to the dorms to change out of our SeeD uniforms. We stopped in front of mine and Kayla's rooms. 

"I think I'm gonna go sit with my mom for a while after I change," Tal told us. 

"I wanna go visit my mom too," Kayla agreed. 

"I'll wait for you then, okay?" Tal said. 

"Okay." 

"I'll see you guys later," I called and disappeared into my room. I was still tired although I had no idea why. I had gotten a good night's sleep, better than I usually do. But then again, I had had a VERY hectic day and my sleep had been disturbed by dark dreams that I couldn't quite ignore. Now that I was awake, I could remember nothing of them, but last night, I assume, they had kept me from fully resting. 

Once in my room, I changed into a comfortable pair of sweat shorts and a white tank top. I checked the patient list on my computer to see how my aunts were doing, then laid down on my bed with a book. Before I knew it, I had drifted off to sleep. 

_I was surrounded by a darkness so thick that I couldn't even see my hand when I held it in front of my face. I turned slowly in a circle, hoping to find some source of light that would give me bearings in this strange place. I found none. I tried to call out to anyone that might be around, but my voice caught in my throat as if a Silence Powder had been thrown on me. Beginning to panic, I looked around again and this time, a pinprick of red light caught my eye. I started to walk towards it but a feeling of dread caused me to stop. Unfortunately, it didn't matter whether I was approaching it or not because it was approaching me. _

The crimson spec began to grow as it rushed towards me, making no sound as it advanced. When I could see it well enough to know that it couldn't mean anything good for me, I turned and ran. I was skittish at first, afraid I would trip over something in the inky blackness but when I glanced over my shoulder and saw that a ruby wave of death was right on my heels, I threw caution to the wind and ran as fast as I could away from it. 

It was no use. The red light had now taken on the consistency of water and was barreling towards me silently in this strange abyss. I tried to run faster but my legs wouldn't cooperate and the crimson tide washed over me, sucking me down into it's murky depths. I tried to hold my breath but the strange fluid forced itself into my mouth. I gagged repeatedly and tried to cough up the foul substance but to no avail. It poured in through my mouth and nose, forcing the breath out of me. Swirling in that crimson sea, I was sure I was going to die… 

And then suddenly, I was laying on solid ground, purging the horrible liquid from my system. It lay in a ruby puddle next to me and I quickly backed away from it, afraid that it would attack. I sat up and looking around, realized I was in the black void again. The only spot of color was the red fluid I had expunged from my own body and even that was fading quickly. Not sure what was worse, the black or the red, I looked around frantically for some way to escape. To my horror, two spots of red where advancing from my left. I watched, hoping that this time it wouldn't be the death tide, and to my surprise it wasn't. It was something infinitely worse. 

The red dots approached but got no bigger. Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from them, causing me to shield my eyes. When the glare had faded, I looked and saw that a woman had materialized from the light. She was tall, with long, flowing red hair. She wore a low cut emerald green dress that swept the floor at her feet and she had strange marking painted on her body. The twin ruby lights had been her eyes glowing in the darkness. She was a sorceress. 

She approached me and I jumped to my feet, my hands automatically going to my hips where my Sais should've been. Of course, they weren't there. That would've been too easy. I tried to cast a spell, but my voice was still missing. The sorceress approached in a lazy saunter and there was nothing I could do but wait for her to reach me. She advanced until she was only a step in front of me, so close I could see the madness swirling in her eyes, which had been locked on me the entire time. Then, to my amazement, the sorceress stepped through me. I felt her body pass through me in a whoosh, but she gave no indication that she even knew I was there. I turned around to follow her progress and saw that a whole scene had developed behind me. 

Inside a dimly lit room, the sorceress approached someone in the shadows. She stopped about five feet from the figure and beckoned with one figure for them to come to her. She was answered by a bullet that made no sound as it tore through the air. It bounced off the sorceress's shield and ricocheted off into the darkness that still surrounded me. My eyes went wide as the person in the shadows stepped forward, revealing their identity. 

It was Vaughn Kinneas. 

Not knowing what the sorceress would do to him, I ran to his side and tried to pull him back as he raised his gun again. My hand passed right through him and he didn't even flinch. I looked at the sorceress and saw that her face had contorted into a mask of rage. Without warning, she lunged forward and drove her pointed fingernails deep into Vaughn's chest. He gasped soundlessly as a silent scream escaped my lips. The sorceress grinned and shoved her hand in deeper, causing Vaughn's eyes to roll up into his head. He slumped down and the sorceress removed her hand, letting him fall to the floor. I was down half a second later, trying to ascertain if he was alive or not. I looked back up at the sorceress, glaring daggers at her and saw with rising horror that she was licking his blood off of her fingers. Wanting nothing more than to kill the vile thing, I remained at Vaughn's side because I knew I could do nothing to her. 

I looked down at Vaughn and saw that his eyes had opened again. He was alive, but wouldn't be for long. Already, a pool of blood had spread out underneath him, enough so that I didn't think he could possibly be alive now, let alone in a few minutes. Silent tears rolled down my face as I tried to talk to him, touch him, anything to let him know that I was there with him. His eyes swam out of focus, then back in again and he looked right at me. I wasn't sure if he could see me or not, but then he smiled and he said my name, though I heard nothing. I only knew what he uttered because of the movement of his lips. He smiled again and then his eyes closed and the smile faded. Not ready to let him go, I tried to shake him back awake but it was no use. He was dead. 

With the tears still burning down my cheeks, I stood up and approached the sorceress, who was laughing gaily while Vaughn's blood dripped from her hands and ringed her mouth. I tried to grab her but like before, I had no substance. Knowing there was nothing I could do to avenge Vaughn, I sank to my knees on the floor next to him once again and silently wailed his name over and over. 

"Vaughn!" 

My eyes shot open and I looked around frantically. It took me a few seconds before I realized that I was in my dorm room in the Garden. My heart was beating so fast that I could hear it like a drum in my ears. I took a deep breath and pushed myself into a sitting position, trying to slow my erratic heartbeat. Once I was successfully calm, I reached up to wipe the moisture off my face. Most of it was terror sweat but a few of the droplets on my cheeks had been tears, that I knew. 

I looked around the room again, trying to convince myself that everything was all right. _It was just a dream,_ I comforted myself. It had been one hell of a dream though. I'd never had one so graphic, or so frightening for that matter. The vivid images of the sorceress impaling Vaughn rushed into my memory too readily and I shuddered as I tried to rid myself of them. 

_**What was that, Mistress?**_

_What was what?_

_**That memory,**_ my GF clarified, _**where did it come from?**_

_From a dream. Hey, I thought you could read my mind. How come you didn't see the dream?_

_**Dreamscapes are sacred ground where Guardian Forces are forbidden to tread.**_

_Lucky you, it wasn't a nice one._

_**I'm able to see it now that you are remembering it. It's so vivid.**_

_Ii hope you got your fill of it because I don't want to picture it anymore._

_**Of course, Mistress.**_

With some effort, I pushed the heinous images from my mind and tried to forget about them. After a few minutes, I felt better and decided that I would try to read some more of the book I had been enjoying before I'd fallen asleep. I had just picked it up when the telephone rang. Still a little jumpy from the dream, I yelped in surprise and dropped the book onto the bed. I eyed the phone warily as it rang again. 

_**It's just the phone, Mistress. It won't bite.**_

_Quiet you._

I shakily reached for the receiver and after a brief hesitation during which it rang a fourth time, I picked it up. In the back of my mind, I almost expected it to be news that the sorceress had attacked and killed Vaughn. 

"Hello?" 

"It's about time you answer your phone." It was Kayla. 

"Sorry," I said, "I've been asleep." 

"Ooo," she cooed, "dreaming about Vaughn?" 

I jumped as if I'd been slapped and almost told her yes. Of course, I wasn't dreaming about him in the way she meant, so I lied. "No." 

"Sure," Kayla teased, "Well, anyway, me and Tal have been waiting for you to answer so we could go get some lunch." 

I looked at my bedside clock. It read 1328 hours. "Why didn't you just go without me?" 

"What kind of friends would we be if we made you get lunch all by yourself?" 

"Crappy ones," I admitted with a grin. "Okay, I'm ready to go." 

"Good, we'll be there in about two seconds." 

I hung up the phone and five seconds later, not two, Kayla and Tal were at the door. I joined them in the hall and the three of us went to the cafeteria for lunch. As we were walking down the hall, I noticed that Kayla didn't have her crutches. 

"Hey, what happened to your crutches?" 

"Dr. Kadowaki says I don't need them anymore," she informed, "My foot's fine now, which means that I can kick butt again!" 

She laughed happily and we continued to the cafeteria. Just as we were entering, Luke, Vaughn and Cale were leaving. They mumbled greetings to us but didn't stop to talk. Upon seeing Vaughn alive and well, I let out a sigh of relief and my mood improved greatly. In my subconscious, I had expected the dream to actually be a vision of what had happened. Of course, it still could happen but I'd worry about that later. Right now, I was just glad that he was still alive. 

As the three of us walked towards the cafeteria counters, Kayla nudged me with her elbow. "Better put that tongue back in you mouth before it drags the floor." 

I looked down at her in confusion. "What?" 

"I saw you ogling Vaughn," she grinned. 

"I was not!" I insisted. 

"Sure, whatever," Kayla rolled her eyes, "I know what I saw." 

_**Kaisa likes Vaughn, Kaisa likes Vaughn.**_

_SHUT UP!_

After getting our trays, we sat down at a table in the corner to eat. Certain parts of the cafeteria were still roped off as crew worked to replace the damaged portions with new tile or wall building materials. They worked quietly at their task and most of the diners, including us, ignored them. 

"So Kaisa, Kayla tells me you like Vaughn now," Tal grinned and popped a chicken nugget into his mouth. 

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. "She told you that?" 

"Yeah," he replied nonchalantly, "And quite frankly, I'm a little pissed that you didn't tell me yourself." 

Next to Tal, Kayla was trying hard not to laugh. She hid her smile behind the cheeseburger she was currently eating. 

"I didn't tell you because it isn't true," I informed. 

"That's not what Kayla says." 

She was now trying to cover up small giggles as a fit of sneezes, but I wasn't fooled. I glared at her, then decided to turn the tables on them. 

"So, what were the two of you doing while I was asleep?" 

The grin left both of their faces and they stared at me in stunned silence, as if I knew exactly what they were doing and had caught them. In truth, I didn't know but their reactions gave me a pretty good idea. 

"Nothing," Kayla choked out. 

"What makes you think we were doing something?" Tal asked, a little calmer than Kayla. He had been ready for me this time. "We were just hanging out. And don't try to change the subject, we were talking about you and Vaughn, not me and Kayla." 

"Oh, you and Kayla," I repeated with a grin, "So what, are you guys a couple now?" 

"No!" they shouted in unison, gathering the attention of a few surrounding tables. 

I had to tread lightly now. If I embarrassed them too much, they would get back at me as swiftly and ruthlessly as possible and Kayla knew just how to do it. She would tell Vaughn I had a crush on him and all the denying in the world wouldn't convince him otherwise. Or worse, they would tell my dad that I had a crush on Vaughn, in which case Vaughn would end up dead and I'd end up in a monastery somewhere, sworn to a life of celibacy. It was a lose/lose situation either way. 

Luckily, I was saved from digging my own grave when Raine Leonhart approached our table, alone. It wasn't often that she was without the Dincht twins and we were all silent as she stopped in front of her brother. 

"Tal, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked somberly, with no hint of little sister brattyness. 

"Uh, sure," Tal agreed, not quite sure what to expect. He stood up and followed Raine to an unoccupied table across the room. The two Leonhart's sat down and began to talk. 

"What do you think they're talking about?" Kayla asked curiously. 

"I don't know," I admitted, "Maybe about their mom or something?" 

"You don't think she's getting worse, do you?" Kayla face melted into a mask of despair. 

"No," I assured, "she's getting better. Maybe they're talking about Raven." 

Kayla nodded slowly, as if she knew I was right in my guessing. We turned back to watch the Leonharts as they conversed, then turned back to our food as if we hadn't been watching when Tal stood and started back towards us. 

"What was that all about?" Kayla asked as he sat back down. 

Tal sighed. "Some kids in her classes have been picking on her." 

"About what?" I questioned, wondering what would bother Raine enough that she would come to Tal about it. 

"About Raven," he told us, confirming my suspicions. "Raine's taking this whole thing hard, harder than even me or my dad and these cadets keep saying that Raven should be found and killed, that she's evil, blah blah blah and it's really getting to Raine." 

"Why doesn't she tell your dad?" I asked. 

"She doesn't want to burden him with it," he explained, "it would only make him feel worse about the situation." 

"Stupid punk kids," Kayla spat with unusual venom, "I'd like to show them. Did she say which kids they were?" An evil glint entered her emerald eyes, the glint of revenge. 

"No," Tal replied, ruining her plans of retaliation, "She didn't tell me specifically because she knew I would do something about it." 

"I hope I hear one of them say something," Kayla fumed, "I'll show them what evil is." She grinned demonically. 

"Down girl," I ordered, "They're just kids, remember?" 

"Little punk kids that need to be taught a lesson," she corrected. 

After a few minutes of rationalizing, we managed to bring Kayla off her revenge streak and continued with our lunches, which by now were half cold. After we finished, we left the cafeteria and headed to the infirmary to once again visit our parents. When we entered, we went to the separate rooms our mothers were being treated in. When I entered exam room 4, I saw that my mom was getting ready to be discharged. 

"Leaving already?" I asked with a grin. 

"Yes," my mother sighed with relief, "Thank Hyne." She leaned close to me and whispered, "I'm very glad because if your father goes another day without showering, he's going to start attracting flies." 

"I heard that," my dad insisted from across the room, "I don't smell that bad." 

I looked over at him and saw that he had a day's or so worth of beard stubble on his chin and dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't left the infirmary since my mother arrived, except to take her to the funeral. 

"Well, look on the bright side," he smirked and sat down on the bed next to my mom, "Now we can take a shower together." 

"Ew!" I exclaimed and covered my ears with my hands, "Ew ew ew! I'm not listening!" 

_**That's a rather childish response, Mistress. They are your parents. How do you think you got here!**_

_Ah! Shut up Ember! I don't even want to_ think _about that._

"Get over it," my mother scoffed with a smile, "Someday you won't think it's so 'ew' when you have a husband of your own." 

"Yes she will," my dad insisted, all the joking gone from his mind, "You're right baby girl, it's disgusting. Don't ever, _ever_ take a shower with a guy." 

"Oh my Hyne Daddy, please don't tell me your going to give me 'The Talk'," I sighed. 

"I thought your mother already did," he said. 

"I did," my mom assured. 

"And what a lovely twenty minutes that was," I said sarcastically. 

"I hope she told you what disgusting, filthy creatures boys are," my dad continued, "they only want one thing, se…" 

"Oh Hyne Daddy no!" I interrupted, "Don't say it!" 

"What?" He looked at me, his brow furled in confusion. "Why not?" 

"I don't want to hear it," I told him, "especially from you!" 

"Seifer!" my mom scolded, "Don't fill her head with such nonsense. There is nothing wrong with sex if two people love one another." 

"Oh Hyne!" I gasped and bolted from the room. There is nothing in the world worse than hearing your parents talk about sex, except maybe catching them in the act but I didn't want to contemplate that one. I burst out the door and almost plowed Kayla in the process. She stumbled back, eyeing me suspiciously. 

"What's wrong with you?" she asked. 

"Nothing," I lied, "I just need to get away from here." 

Suddenly, realization dawned on her face and she looked horror-stricken. "Oh Hyne, you didn't walk in on your parents…" 

"NO!" I cut her off before she could finish, "No, I did not, but they are talking about it." 

"Ew," Kayla said and wrinkled her nose. "Gross." 

"Yes," I agreed, "Very gross, so if you don't mind, I'd like to get away from here before my mother comes out and starts explaining the details to me." 

"Oh Hyne, we better hurry." 

Kayla and I rushed from the infirmary and met Tal outside. We said nothing of the experience I'd had in my mom's room, because, quite frankly he was a boy and it would've been too embarrassing. Instead, I calmed down and the three of us headed towards the library, where we hoped to find something at least halfway interesting to read or perhaps we could commandeer a computer from one of the cadets and play online video games, which we weren't supposed to do but we did anyway. 

When we got there, we talked a cadet into giving up his computer and sat down to play. After a few hours of "Lunar Cry", a game based on the rare phenomenon of the same name, we decided that we'd let the cadet have his computer back. He had sat patiently by while we played and was very grateful to be allowed to continue with whatever he was doing before we had interrupted. 

After our gaming session, we went to the Training Center and splattered Grats for about an hour or so. When we got bored with that, we went around the Garden, challenging underclassmen and cadets to games of Triple Triad. The ones that were dumb enough to agree to our challenges weren't happy. Because none of them had any rare cards, we ended up giving back what we won and the kids were grateful. After finishing with our card quest, it was time for dinner, so we headed to the cafeteria to eat. 

After a rather boring dinner of mashed potatoes and sliced turkey, the three of us wandered around the Garden, looking for something to do. After an hour and a half of aimless wandering and avoiding my parents, who were out and about, the three of us said goodnight to one another and retired to our own rooms at about 2100 hours. Still exhausted from the previous day's events and the sleep-filled but not rest-filled night after, I fell asleep in about twenty minutes, after reading a few more pages of my book. 

That night, I had another dream, and like the one of Vaughn, it was vivid and frightening but in this one, I was inside my mother's body. 

_The sound of two gunblades crashing together rang out and my eyes shot open. I was trying to us my Limit Break but with the sounds of battle around me, I couldn't concentrate. I looked forward and saw that my dad and Uncle Squall had just clashed swords. As I looked on, my dad jumped back and with a smirk, cast a Firaga spell on the dark haired man. He hissed in pain, although I heard no sound, then retaliated with a Blizzaga spell, which hit my father full on, driving him back a few steps. _

I sensed someone behind me and I turned around to see Uncle Irvine and Aunt Selphie waiting to get some of the action. Aunt Selphie was casting curative magic when needed and every so often, Uncle Irvine would take a shot at my dad. I was slightly angry that they would be ganging up on him and I tried to let him know, but, once again, I couldn't speak. I turned back to the battle and a flash of peach caught my eye. I looked down and realized I was wearing my mother's battle gear, but for what reason, I couldn't figure out. I looked up as Uncle Squall called something out to me, though I hadn't heard him make a sound. He shouted an order and I nodded, although I had no idea what he'd said. That's when I realized that he was only about seventeen or eighteen. I looked back at Aunt Selphie and Uncle Irvine and realized that they too were in their late teens. Suddenly, Uncle Zell rushed forward from next to me and punched my dad hard. He smirked and after calling him a Chicken-Wuss, blasted him with a Flare spell. He fell to the ground in a charred heap and didn't move. 

While Aunt Selphie tried to heal him, Uncle Irvine took his place on the front line. My dad smirked evilly and performed his Limit Break Demon Slice on Uncle Irvine, taking him out of the action. Aunt Selphie squealed in terror and ran to Uncle Irvine's side, desperately trying to heal him. 

Confused by what was going on, I looked around me. I was inside of a room that I didn't recognize at first but then suddenly, I remembered seeing this very room in a book. I was inside Lunatic Pandora. I looked down at myself again and realized I wasn't just wearing my mom's battle gear, I was my mom, and I was reliving the past. 

Now that Zell and Irvine were out of commission, it was up to Squall and my mom to stop my dad's maniacal rampage. I could see the hate and anger burning in his eyes as he struck at Squall again. Uncle Squall staggered, giving my dad an opportunity to turn his sights on my mother. 

I watched in horror as he swung his gunblade at my mom, at me, at us. She deflected it quickly with her Save the Queen, but my dad recovered too quickly. He ducked under her whip as she lashed out at his head and remaining low, drove his Hyperion into her. A searing pain erupted in her right side that I felt too, inside her body. She looked down and saw that at least a foot and a half of Hyperion's three-foot blade was thrust into her side. 

With an evil sneer, my dad wrenched the blade free, causing the previously dammed blood to spill forth in a crimson tsunami. My mom fell to the ground, trying desperately to stop the life fluid flowing out of her. Aunt Selphie was by our side a second later and was chanting cure spells as fast as she could. She had already healed Zell and Irvine, so they once again went to the front lines of the battle to hold my dad off while my mom was healed. I suddenly felt very tired and knew that I was experiencing the way my mom had felt at that moment over twenty years ago. I tried hard to keep conscious, but the blackness seeped into our vision. The last thing that went through her mind, and consequently, mine, before she passed out was one word. 

"Seifer…" 

I awoke with a start, much the same way I had from the dream with Vaughn, except I wasn't absolutely terrified like I had been then. I looked around my dorm and was surprised to see that sunlight filtered in through my window. It was already morning. I looked at my bedside clock and it confirmed what the sun had already told me. It was 0829 hours. 

I threw back the blankets on my bed and almost instantly, the dream returned in full detail. My dad had stabbed my mom, almost killed her. _No_, I argued with myself, _my dad would never do that to my mom, even way back then._

After a few more minutes of internal debate, I convinced myself that it wasn't really a memory, it was just another bad dream, a nightmare like the one about Vaughn, which I knew hadn't been real. After coming to this conclusion, I got up and showered, then dressed for the day. After dressing, I called Kayla's room to see if she wanted to get some breakfast. I let the phone ring twelve times before deciding that she really wasn't there and wasn't just sleeping. Then I remembered that Aunt Selphie was being discharged from the infirmary this morning. I thought about calling Tal but decided against it. I figured he'd already be up and about so it would be a waste of time. 

I went to the cafeteria alone and got my breakfast. When I turned towards the tables to find a place to sit, I saw my mom waving to me from one of the small tables against the back wall. I took my tray and joined her. 

"Good morning," she greeted cheerily. She was wearing her SeeD uniform and sipping a cup of coffee. She looked a lot better than she had yesterday. 

"How'd you convince Dad to let you go?" I asked, motioning towards her SeeD uniform, which she only wore when teaching or for special occasions. 

"I didn't have to convince him," she assured, "I told him I had taken too much time already and was teaching my classes today. It was as simple as that." 

"You hurt him didn't you?" 

She smiled sinisterly. "Only a little bit. So where's Kayla and Tal?" 

I shrugged. "I called Kay's room but she wasn't there so I figured she's in the infirmary." 

"Oh that's right," my mother said, "Selphie's being discharged this morning." 

I nodded and stuck a forkful of waffles into my mouth. After swallowing, I spoke. "So, why are you in here eating? Or rather, having your coffee?" She usually got it to go and then drank it in her classroom. 

It was her turn to shrug. "I just felt like sitting here for a while." She took another sip of her coffee, then glanced at her watch. "Oh! I'd better go, classes start in fifteen minutes. I'll see you later." 

"Okay," I agreed. 

My mom stood up and yawned, then stretched her arms above her head. In the process, her SeeD jacket and shirt pulled up a little to reveal about two inches of the skin of her abdomen, but it was enough for me to see the long white scar that went almost from her belly button to her side. It had faded over time but was still quite visible. It was amazing that I'd never seen it before. 

"Bye Kaisa," she said after grabbing her coffee and briefcase but she must have noticed that I was staring at her because her smile faded and she looked at me curiously. 

"Something wrong sweetie?" 

"That scar," I managed and pointed to her side, "Where did you get it?" 

She lifted up her shirt and jacket slightly and gazed down at the white scar tissue. "This? Just an old battle injury. Why?" 

I tore my gaze away from the hideous mark and managed a smile as I looked up at her. "No reason, I'd just never seen it before. Have a good day Mom." 

"You too." 

My mother left the cafeteria but I didn't watch her go. My mind was spinning too fast to even contemplate what was going on. After a few minutes, I was finally able to put together my thoughts. The scar was in the same exact place that my dad had stabbed her in the dream. There was no way it could be a coincidence. The dream had really happened. It had been a memory. 

----------------------------------------- 

I didn't see Kayla or Tal until lunchtime, when the three of us ran into each other in the cafeteria. I was relieved to see them. I had been spending entirely too much time contemplating the meaning of the dream. I needed a distraction from my thoughts. 

"Where have you guys been all day?" I asked, just trying to start a conversation. 

"Around," Tal replied curtly and headed towards the lunch counter by himself. 

I stared after him in shock, then turned to Kayla. "What's his problem?" 

"I don't know," she admitted, "I ran into him on the way here and he seemed kinda mad about something. When I asked him what was wrong, he said it was nothing." 

"The way he answered me, it's almost like he's mad at me," I stated, "But I didn't do anything to him. I haven't even seen him all day until now." 

"Something's bothering him," Kayla agreed, "But if he doesn't want to tell us, we can't force him." 

"You're right." 

Me and Kayla followed Tal to the lunch counter and then to the table he chose to sit at. He didn't seem to mind when Kayla sat next to him but when I took the seat across from him, he glared at me. I stared wide-eyed, then quickly looked away. I could feel his gaze boring into me for a few more seconds, then he too turned away and began to eat his lunch. 

The conversation during lunch existed between Kayla and me only. Tal refused to comment on anything we said and kept giving me dirty looks every time I talked. I couldn't think of anything I'd ever done to him that would warrant him acting this way towards me. Even when I had pushed him into the girl's bathroom on the second floor when we were ten, he had gotten over it in five minutes. 

After we had finished eating, Kayla suggested that we go back to my dorm and talk. I had the feeling that she wanted to talk to me about something specific and I figured it was about Tal until she asked him to come too. He muttered a response that I couldn't quite make out but agreed to come too. 

Once in my dorm room, the three of us were silent for a few minutes before Kayla finally spoke. 

"I need to talk to you guys about something." I could detect a hint of despair and uncertainty in her voice and it scared me. 

"What's going on?" I questioned. 

"Well," she started, "I had this dream last night…" 

Tal's head snapped up and his eyes held a look of surprise, which I'm almost certain was mirrored in my own. 

"What about?" I prodded, feeling like something important was about to happen but not sure what. 

"About…about my mom." 

I gaped at her. What were the odds that we would both have troubling dreams about our Moms on the same night? And judging by Tal's reaction, I was guessing that he had had a dream as well, although what it was about was still a mystery. 

"Really?" I said, "I did too. It was about her when she was younger, about eighteen I think." 

Kayla, who had been avoiding eye contact since we entered the room, looked up at me in surprise. "Really?" 

I nodded. "Yeah, how weird is that?" 

"Tell me about your dream," Kayla insisted. 

"I thought you were going to talk about yours." 

"No." She shook her head. "I want you to go first." 

"Okay," I agreed and told them about the incident in Lunatic Pandora. "And the weird thing is, I think it was a memory." 

A pained expression came across Kayla's face. "What makes you think that?" 

"Well," I began, a little confused about Kayla's reaction, "I had breakfast with her this morning and I saw the scar. When I asked her about it, she said it was just an old battle wound and wouldn't tell me from when. She obviously didn't want to talk about it." 

Without warning, Kayla burst into tears. I stared at her in stunned silence for a few seconds, then finally found my voice. "Kayla, what's wrong?" 

She didn't answer and showed no signs of ceasing her wailing, so I leaned forward to put an arm around her to comfort her. I was surprised when Tal grabbed her and pulled her away from me, and consequently, against him. 

"Leave her alone," he hissed angrily. 

I gaped at him. "What?" 

"I said leave her alone," he repeated with no less venom. He hugged the crying girl to him and after whispering a few comforting words which I couldn't hear, turned his burning eyes back on me. "This is probably your fault." 

"What do you mean?" I was completely confused as to what was going on. 

"Obviously she had a dream too," Tal spat, "And judging by her reaction, your screwed up father had a part in hers too." 

"What the hell are you babbling about?" I demanded, angry at Tal's reaction but even angrier because I didn't understand what was going on. 

"I had a dream too," Tal announced, still cradling Kayla, "You want to hear about it? It's a good one." Before I could answer, he continued. "Your dad raped my mom." 

My eyes went wide and my jaw nearly hit the floor. "What?" 

Kayla cried louder and Tal was forced to speak over her. "You heard me." 

"No," I insisted. We all knew that Aunt Rinoa and my dad had dated for a summer, but it hadn't been serious. "He would never hurt anyone like that." 

"Well, according to you, your dream was a memory," Tal reminded, "That's means mine must've been too. It had to've really happened." 

"My dad wouldn't hurt your mom," I said, my mind almost numb from the conversation and the terrible twist it had taken. 

"Oh, he hurt her all right," Tal assured grimly, "He hurt her bad. She was sobbing and crying out in pain but he just kept going…" 

His voice broke suddenly and he turned away, tears shimmering in his eyes. 

"It's not true!" I screamed, on the verge of tears myself. "He wouldn't do that!" 

"Oh yeah? Then how come he cut your mom if he's such a nice guy?" 

"He was under Ultimecia's control," I told him, "He didn't know what he was doing." 

"You want to know what I think? I think your dad is just an asshole and used Ultimecia to cover up his crimes." 

My face turned red and anger boiled up in me. "Take that back Tal." 

"No," he smirked, "It's true. He gets off on causing fear and pain. It's just a matter of time before he goes off again. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this new sorceress happened to 'possess' him and he went on another killing spree." 

"Shut up Leonhart," I growled, "You better just shut up." 

"Why?" he taunted and let go of Kayla, who was still crying. He stood up and walked around the bed to me. "What are you gonna do Almasy? Hurt me like your dad would?" 

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I leapt at Tal and grabbed him around the neck, hoping to shut him up. He anticipated my move and managed to dodge my attack and trip me at the same time. I went sprawling to the floor. I flipped over onto my back and kicked his legs out from under him, sending him crashing into the nightstand before joining me on the floor. He cried out in pain as I landed a kick to his midsection but then countered with a punch aimed at my face. I dodged just in time and he only hit my shoulder, but it was hard enough to momentarily numb my left arm. I lunged for him again with my good arm, but suddenly Kayla was off the bed and screaming at us. 

"Stop it!" she shouted, the tears forgotten on her face. "Stop it, both of you! You're acting like children!" 

Hearing the distress in her voice, both of us let go of each other and got to our feet, still shooting glares but doing no more. Kayla stood before both of us, at least four or five inches shorter, and we both bowed our heads in shame. 

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she demanded, "I can't believe you guys! We're supposed to be friends and here you two are, trying to kill each other!" 

"But her dad…" Tal started. 

"I don't want to hear it!" Kayla snapped, cutting him off and causing him to fall silent, "I don't care what her dad did, that wasn't her and there's no reason to take it out on her!" 

"I'm sorry," Tal mumbled. 

"Don't tell me," Kayla instructed, "tell her." She pointed to me. 

Tal turned towards me and at first wouldn't meet my eyes. Finally, he looked up at me and the anger was gone. "I'm sorry Kai." 

I stood silent for a moment, contemplating if I was ready to forgive him, finally, I did. "Okay. I'm sorry too." 

"Now both of you hug," Kayla ordered. 

We each took a step towards each other and after a brief hesitation, hugged awkwardly. After we pulled apart, the three of us returned to sitting on the bed. 

"Are you ready to tell us about your dream?" I asked after a moment. 

Kayla nodded but didn't look up from her hands. "It happened in the past, like yours and it was about my mom, when she was back in Trabia. She had this boyfriend there and they were pretty close I guess but my mom wanted to save herself for marriage. Her boyfriend didn't want to wait but in the end, he finally agreed. One night, he went out drinking with a bunch of his friends and came back drunk. He went to my mom's room and when she let him in, he hit her and then…" She trailed off as the tears returned and began to flow. 

"You don't have to say it," I assured, my own tears pricking my eyes, "We understand." 

"Why?" Kayla asked through her tears, "Why are we seeing these things? These memories?" 

"I don't know," I admitted as I patted her hand in an attempt to comfort her. "It can't be a coincidence. Someone has to be sending us these memories and the only person I know who can do that is…" 

"Ellone," Tal finished. Ellone was Tal's aunt, adopted by his grandpa Laguna Loire of Esthar. 

I nodded in agreement. 

"But why would Ellone send us such horrible memories?" Kayla inquired. She had managed to dam the flood of tears and was wiping the stray ones from her face. 

"It doesn't make any sense," Tal agreed, "she wouldn't send us memories unless there was a purpose and I don't see any purpose in sending these memories except to mess with us." 

"Ellone wouldn't do that," I insisted. She was one of the nicest people I knew. 

"I know," Tal nodded, "But if not her, then who?" 

"Let's worry about it later," Kayla suggested, "I really don't want to think about it any more right now. Besides, we need to concentrate on finding the sorceress. The guys must be planning on leaving pretty soon." 

"Tonight would be my guess," I offered, "They'll wait until after curfew. We should all be ready just in case." 

Kayla and Tal nodded. Suddenly, Tal changed the subject. 

"Hey, did you guys hear about Tristen?" 

We shook our heads. 

"He left the last night." 

"What do you mean 'left'?" I inquired. 

"No one knows how, but he somehow managed to wake up even though he was heavily sedated, then he left the infirmary and stole one of the watercrafts. Everyone assumes that he's looking for Raven." 

"Did he hurt anybody?" Kayla asked. 

"No," Tal answered, "It was in the middle of the night when he left. There was only one nurse on duty, along with Dr. Kadowaki and they were both busy with other patients." 

"How did he counteract the sedatives?" I wondered. 

"No one knows," Tal informed, "Although I heard some girls saying that one of the day nurses gave him saline instead of his sedatives so he'd wake up. I don't know if it's true or not." 

"At least no one was hurt," Kayla stated. 

"Yeah," I agreed. 

After the conversation about Tristen, the three of us went to our own rooms to get ready in case our brothers and Cale decided that their little suicide mission was going to be tonight. A few days before taking the SeeD exam, Kayla and I had bought new battle gear to wear on our first mission. Mine consisted of a maroon, long-sleeved shirt with a duster type tail in the back, black pants, black gloves and dark brown ankle high boots. Kayla's outfit was a bright orange summer dress with knee high brown boots and fingerless black gloves that reached halfway to her elbows. I got my outfit out of my closet and draped it over the back of a chair just in case I needed it tonight, then went about packing up my Potions and other items I would need if we were going into battle. Finally, I polished and sharpened my Sais so they would be in good condition when the time to fight finally came. 

By the time I had finished my preparations, it was about time for dinner. Kayla and Tal met me in the hallway and we went to the cafeteria together. Our brothers and Cale were there but we made no indication that they were of any interest to us, even though we were watching them carefully. They were all huddled together, whispering conspiratorially. Even an idiot would've known they were up to something. 

After dinner, the three of us hung out for a little while in my room, going over our list of items and trading if one of us needed something that another had. Since our fight earlier, Tal had developed a black eye from hitting the nighstand and my shoulder was already bruising, but there was no anger left in either one of us. It was almost like the fight had never happened. 

At about 2100 hours, Tal and Kayla left for their own rooms and I changed into my battle gear, all except the shoes and gloves. I had a feeling that tonight was the night and I didn't want to be left behind while I was trying to change. The clothes were slightly uncomfortable to sleep in and I was afraid that another dream might assault me if I fell asleep, but eventually I did. 

I was awakened in the middle of the night by the sounds of stealthy footfalls in the corridor outside my room. I sat up quickly, knowing that it was either my brothers and Cale or we were under attack. I threw the blankets off of me and sprinted to the door. I keyed in the lock code and the door slid open. Vaughn, Luke and Cale were about two doors down from mine, but the sound of the door sliding open got their attention. The three of them spun around to see who had caught them. 

"Dammit!" Luke hissed quietly, "What the hell do you want?" 

"You know exactly what I want," I smirked, "We're coming with you." 

"No, you are not," Luke told me and started to leave. 

"Fine," I shrugged, slightly wincing at the bruise on my left shoulder, "but you won't make it out of the Garden. One little phone call to Daddy and you'll be on KP duty for a year." 

"You little…" Luke trailed off. "You wouldn't dare." 

"You wanna try me?" I challenged. 

"You're gonna pay for this," he warned. 

"I know," I assured, "There's a very good chance that we're all gonna die, I think that's payment enough." 

"Fine!" Luke sighed, "You and your little friends can come." 

"Excellent," I smiled, "Now, you three can come and wait in my room while I call Tal and Kayla." 

"We'll wait here," Luke insisted. 

"Really?" I frowned, "How dumb do you think I am? The second I look away, the three of you are going to be running for the exits like scalded dogs. I'm not stupid. In the room, come on, chop chop. We don't have all night." 

Luke grumbled something under his breath and the three of them turned and marched into my room. Luke was wearing a white muscle shirt with a red Fire Cross, the Almasy family symbol, on it, black jeans, black ankle-high boots and black gloves. Cale wore a white tanktop underneath a black and red over shirt that only reached halfway down his back, blue shorts, blue sneakers and his fighting gloves. Vaughn wore a black trench coat over a white T-shirt, dark blue jeans, black fingerless gloves, brown boots and of course, his ever present cowboy hat, which he tipped at me as he passed by into my room. 

"Nice outfit Almasy," he grinned, "looking good." 

I grinned back stupidly but was brought out of my daze when Luke spoke. 

"Watch it Vaughn," he warned, "That's my sister." 

"I was just complimenting her," he defended, "Don't get your panties in a twist." 

"Shut up." 

The three of them sat down on my bed as I walked over to the phone. After two quick calls, we only had to wait a minute or so before Tal and Kayla arrived. Tal was dressed in a green button up shirt over a white T-shirt, brown pants and brown shoes. Kayla was wearing the battle gear that she had bought when I got mine. Both of them had there weapons and were ready to go. While we had waited for them, I had pulled on my shoes, gloves and strapped on my Sais. 

"All right," Luke spoke and stood up, "Let's just get going okay?" 

"How exactly are we going?" Tal asked. 

My brother smiled sinisterly. "The Ragnarok, of course." 

Tal's mouth fell open. "We're gonna steal the Ragnarok?" 

"Borrow," Luke corrected, "Borrow without asking. Besides, this is a mission and that's what it's supposed to be used for." 

"Yeah, but you're supposed to clear it with the Headmaster or Squall first," I reminded. 

"Look," Luke snapped, "We can stand around here all night talking about doing it, or we can do it. If you aren't up to it, then by all means, stay here." 

"We aren't backing down," I assured defiantly. 

"Then let's go." 

The six of us left my room and quietly snuck down the halls towards the parking lot where the Ragnarok's hangar was. Because it was after midnight, there was no one in the halls and we went undetected. When we got to the hangar door inside the parking lot, we stood anxiously by as Cale bypassed the security system, allowing us to enter the hangar undetected. The alarm code on the security system was changed every week or so to deter would-be thieves, but unfortunately for Garden, Cale was an expert at electronics. In just three minutes he had shut down the security system and opened the inner hangar door. The outer door could be remotely opened inside the Ragnarok. 

"Okay, let's go," Cale urged, "The system's only going to be down for five minutes. We need to be out of here by then." 

The rest of us nodded and sprinted towards the red, monster-like ship. Our feet made a hollow _slap slap_ as we hurried across the concrete floor and I kept waiting for someone to catch us at any second. We reached the ship unchallenged and Cale punched in the code that lowered the cargo hatch. We all hurried in and took our seats as Cale and Luke went up to the front to pilot. Vaughn stayed with us in the back. From the cockpit, Cale closed the cargo ramp and the two of them quickly performed the preflight check. Luke and Cale had both flown the Ragnarok before and they were good at it. 

After the ramp was closed, Cale came over the intercom. "You guys better put your seatbelts on. Once we start the engines, we've gotta get out of here as fast as we can. The engines will be heard and there's nothing we can do about it." 

The four of us in the passenger area quickly buckled our seatbelts and leaned back in our seats in anticipation of the quick takeoff. Under us, the engines roared to life and before we could make any comment, we took off like a shot out of the hangar and were in the open air in no time. Once we were cruising along safely, the four of us left the passenger area and rode the elevator to the cockpit to join Luke and Cale, hoping that someone had some idea as to how we were going to go about finding the sorceress. 

-------------------------------- 

A/N: This is going to be the last update for about a month or longer, unless I write the next chapter in three days, which isn't bloody likely. Sorry to anyone who's been reading this. I assure you, this fic WILL be completed eventually, I just don't know when.


	10. Sorceress Raven

**Chapter 10: Sorceress Raven**

The six of us stood or sat in the cockpit, staring at each other and waiting for someone to talk. I had just breached the subject of how we were going to find the sorceress and like I had figured, no one had an answer. Finally I sighed and spoke. 

"What was the point of going through all the trouble of stealing the Ragnarok if you guys don't even have a plan?" 

"We have a plan," Luke snapped. 

"What's that?" I inquired, "Fly around and hope you see a big neon sign that says 'Sorceress Lantana's Secret Lair'?" 

"That was the gist of it," Cale admitted wryly. 

I threw my hands up in exasperation. "Why did I even bother to come?" 

"Good question," Luke said while checking the instruments on the panel in front of him. "Everyone would've been a lot happier if you had just stayed in the Garden." 

"Everyone would've been a lot happier if you had never been born," I shot back childishly. 

"Both of you shut up for a second!" Vaughn insisted suddenly. Luke and I both looked at him in surprise. "Listen, the elevator's coming up." 

All six of us turned towards the back of the cockpit where the elevator was located. Once it dropped off it's passengers in the top room, it went back to the passenger area. It only returned if it was called using the button next to the shaft. I looked at Tal, who was closest to it. 

"Did you call it?" 

"No," he shook his head, "I didn't touch it." 

Instinctively, six pairs of hands went to their weapons, preparing for whatever was going to step off of the elevator. In the ten seconds or so it took to finally return to the cockpit, a million ideas ran through my head as to what could be coming but none of them were even close to what was really on the elevator. 

As it came up, the first thing we saw was a head covered in dark brown hair. As the person came more into view, we recognized her easily as Raine Leonhart. We all relaxed on our weapons as the elevator stopped and she stepped into the cockpit. 

"Raine!" Tal shouted, "What are you doing here?" 

"I came because you guys need me," she stated simply and walked past him to where Luke and Cale were half out of their seats. She stopped in front of them. "I can track Raven for you." 

The two guys stared at her for a second. 

"What do you mean?" Cale inquired. 

Raine sighed in irritation. "I can track her, lead you to her." 

"How?" 

"With my sorceress blood," Raine said, "It's not good for using magic, but because we're sisters, I can feel Raven's presence at all times. I can lead you to her." 

"Why don't you just tell us where she is?" Luke suggested. 

"Because I don't know," Raine explained, "I can feel her, but I don't know exactly where she is. I can tell what direction we need to go and if we're getting closer though." 

"All right," Vaughn nodded, "we find, Raven, we find Lantana. Makes sense to me." 

"So, which way should we be going?" Luke asked. 

Raine closed her eyes for a moment, then pointed to the left out of the cockpit window. "That way." 

Cale began to correct the flight path while Tal came forward and grabbed his sister roughly by the arm. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed, "This is a dangerous mission, not some training exercise. This is serious stuff." 

"You think I don't know that?" she snapped, "I came because you need me to find Raven and I want to help. She's my sister too you know!" 

It was obvious that Raine was worried about Raven so Tal didn't argue anymore. He let go of her arm and took a few steps back. 

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, "I just don't want you to get hurt." 

"I can take care of myself," Raine insisted and lightly touched her Kali sticks, which were hooked to her belt. 

"Well, since everything's figured out," Vaughn commented, "I'm going back to the passenger area. Too cramped in here." 

"He's right," Luke agreed, "All of you should go back down. Raine, you'll have to stay up here with us so you can tell us where we're supposed to go." 

The younger girl nodded in agreement and the rest of us rode the elevator back down to the passenger area. The four of us took our seats and were silent for a while. Finally, Kayla spoke. 

"What do you think's gonna happen?" she asked out loud. 

We were all silent as we contemplated our answers. 

"I guess we're gonna fight the sorceress," I answered finally. 

"No," Vaughn contradicted, "We're gonna defeat the sorceress." 

"And save Raven," Tal added. 

"What if the sorceress isn't where Raven is?" Kayla inquired. 

"Then we get Raven back and worry about the sorceress later," Vaughn answered simply. 

"I like that plan a whole lot better than trying to defeat the sorceress," Kayla commented. 

"Going up against Raven won't be any less dangerous," I told her, "Her powers are strong and with the sorceress controlling her, there's no telling what she might do." 

"We'll get her back," Tal insisted stubbornly, "We have to." 

The four of us fell silent again as the Ragnarok banked slightly to the left, obviously following Raine's instructions. We were silent for a few more minutes before Vaughn stood up and came and sat next to me. Kayla and Tal were on the other side of me and they both raised their eyebrows and smiled as he sat down. I glared at both of them then looked at Vaughn as he spoke. 

"You guys nervous?" 

"No," I answered quickly. I was, but I didn't want him to think I was some wussy girl who couldn't handle a real battle. 

He raised an eyebrow at me. "No? You should be, this is some serious stuff we're getting ourselves into right now." 

I stared at him for a second, trying to think of a way out of the hole I'd just dug. "Well, you know, I'm a little nervous…" 

Next to me, I heard Tal and Kayla snickering. I pretended not to hear them and faced forward again, mentally cursing myself for answering at all. 

"Hey Kaisa," Tal called with a grin. He was sitting on the other side of Kayla, closest to the wall, "Why don't you tell Vaughn what's really on your mind." 

I could feel my face turn bright red as if it had been doused with oil and then lit on fire. Next to me, Kayla and Tal collapsed into fits of laughter. I continued to stare straight ahead, not even chancing a look at Vaughn to see if he understood the meaning of Tal's words. Suddenly, he spoke. 

"Hey Tal," he called to the younger boy, "I heard you and my sister were in her room alone, 'doing nothing'." 

Kayla and Tal fell silent as quickly as if a switch had been flipped. They both stared at Vaughn wide-eyed. 

"I…I don't know what you're talking about," Tal insisted unconvincingly. 

"Oh," Vaughn said and wrinkled his brow, "Well, I told my mom and dad about what I'd heard and neither of them seemed too happy about it. Gee, I'd hate to get you two in trouble for no reason." He smiled. 

Kayla and Tal continued to stare. Finally Kayla spoke. "You didn't." 

"Didn't what?" 

"Tell Mom and Dad." 

"Oh of course I did," Vaughn assured, still smiling, "I believe it's my duty as your older brother to protect you from boys." 

Everyone fell silent again and I looked over at Vaughn discreetly. Of course, he caught me looking and winked before I turned away. 

The rest of the trip was spent in virtual silence. Kayla and Tal were brooding about what Vaughn had said and I didn't want to open my mouth and say anything stupid, so I kept it shut. About two hours after departure from the Garden, Luke came onto the intercom. 

"Listen up guys, Raine found Raven. We're approaching Centra right now and Raine says she's somewhere in the Ruins. We're gonna set down about half a mile away and go on foot to the Ruins. We're landing in about five minutes." 

The intercom clicked off and the four of us put on our seatbelts just in case it proved to be a rough landing. It wasn't, and five minutes later we were landed half a mile from the Centra Ruins. As the four of us in the passenger area stood up and prepared to exit the ship, the three from the cockpit rode the elevator down and joined us. 

"Raine, you stay here," Tal ordered. 

"What?" Raine exclaimed, "I'm not staying here!" 

"Yes you are," Tal insisted, "It's way too dangerous for you to go with us." 

"You need me still," Raine said. 

"No we don't." 

"How are you going to find Raven once you're in there?" Raine demanded, "You need me to locate her inside the Ruins." 

"She's right," Cale agreed, "She has to come with us. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her." 

Raine glared at the older man. "I don't need adult supervision." 

"Maybe not but you aren't a SeeD yet, so I'll stay with you and make sure you're okay," Cale stated. 

Raine sighed in defeat and the seven of us left the Ragnarok. Out on the plains of Centra, the moon was barely enough to illuminate our way but we didn't want to take the risk of flashlights announcing our arrival, so we dealt with it. 

On the way to the Ruins, the monsters were thick because Centra was hardly ever visited by humans. We fought through easily enough and I even managed to get a Power Generator for my Limit Break, Ray Bomb. It took us about an hour to reach the Ruins and by that time, the moon had disappeared behind some clouds, letting absolutely no light wash down onto our path. When we reached the tower amidst the Ruins, we all stopped outside to catch our breath, check our supplies and come up with a plan. 

"Okay," Luke started, always ready to take charge, "As far as I can tell, we haven't been spotted but that doesn't mean that we can let our guard down. We could be attacked at any minute and a sorceress has the power to wipe us all out simultaneously. We're gonna have to support each other in battle. We need to coordinate it now so there's no confusion once we get there. Since Raine isn't a SeeD yet, I think she should stay in the back and cast curative magic." 

"I want to fight!" Raine insisted. 

"Too bad," Luke told her, "You're not ready for a fight like this. You stay in the back and heal. Kayla, since you can use Full Cure, you should stay with Raine and help her. You can occasionally cast spells if you get the chance but stay out of the actual fight. We can't afford to have our healers getting slammed. Vaughn and Tal, you'll be in front of our healers since you have projectile weapons. You can stand back and cover the rest of us. Me, Kaisa and Cale will be the front line since we have short range weapons." 

"I don't know," Vaughn said, "Shouldn't me, you and Cale be front line? I mean, no offense Kaisa, but you've only been a SeeD for a few days and this is a serious fight. Do you think you can handle it?" 

"I'll be fine," I snapped, a little more harshly than I had intended. 

I saw a pained look wash over his face and he frowned. "Okay, sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad." 

"You didn't," I assured, ashamed of the way I had acted. "I'm just nervous, that's all. I didn't mean to snap at you." 

"Listen Vaughn, if you and Tal do your job and cover us, then there's nothing to worry about," Luke stated. 

"Okay," Vaughn agreed. 

"All right then," Luke continued, "Are we all clear on what we're doing?" We all nodded. "Good. Now, let's check our magic stocks and supplies." 

After a half hour of going over magic and items, we were finally ready to enter the tower. Most of our curative magic had been given to Raine and Kayla, as well as a majority of our healing items. We didn't give them everything of course because if they got knocked out in battle, we'd all be screwed. 

"Okay, is everyone ready for this?" Luke asked, standing before the broken entrance to the Centra Tower. 

"As ready as we'll ever be," Cale stated. He stood next to Raine, behind Luke. 

"No time like the present," Tal agreed. He stood in between Kayla and me. 

"Okay then, let's do this." Luke was the first one to enter the Ruins, his Hyperion in hand. The rest of us held our weapons as well, except for Tal, who had his strapped to his arm and Cale, whose weapons were his fists. 

Inside the Ruins, there was absolutely no light whatsoever and we had to proceed cautiously to avoid falling into a pit or crashing through the rotted floor. We reached the staircase without injury and after a brief consultation with Raine, we started up the rickety stairs. There were several places were the banister had rotted away or the steps had fallen off, so we were slowed even more. To make things worse, there were monsters inside the Ruins and we were attacked frequently. The only good thing to come out of our long trek to the top was that we fought a few Death Claws, which drop Missiles used for my Micro Missile Limit Break. 

After what seemed like ages, we finally reached the top of the stairs. The landing we were on was not quite as old and rotted as the rest of the Ruins but there was a huge boulder blocking the path that led down a hallway. The only place we could go was back down. 

"It's a dead end," Luke grumbled. 

"It can't be," Raine insisted, speaking in a whisper, "Raven is up here, I can feel it. She's down that hallway somewhere." 

"Well, unless you can walk through boulders, we aren't getting down there," Luke commented, "We'll have to go back down and see if there's some other way up." 

"No," Raine shook her head, "There has to be some way around it. She didn't fly up here." 

"She probably could've," Cale commented. 

Raine glared at him, then turned back to Luke. "There's got to be some way around. Can't we just check it out before we walk all the way back down?" 

"All right," Luke relented, "But quietly. If Raven is in this hallway, that means the sorceress might be here too." 

"I don't think she is," Raine informed, "If she were close, I'd be able to feel her." 

"Still, Raven is under the sorceress's control, we need to be careful." 

The seven of us approached the large boulder, wary of anything that moved. We listened intently for any sign that we had been spotted and an attack was coming our way. Once we were satisfied that we were still alone, we began to search around the boulder for some way around it. It was Raine who finally spotted our way in. 

"Guys," she called excitedly, "Come and look at this." 

The rest of us crowded around as Raine pointed to a set of hand and footholds that had been carved into the rock. They led to the top where a portion of the boulder had been chipped away, leaving enough room for a person to crawl through. 

"Good job Raine," Luke praised, "That's our way in. I'll go first and scout the area, then the rest of you can follow." 

Before anyone could argue, Luke was pulling himself up the side of the boulder by the handholds. He reached the top and then squirmed through the opening onto the other side. He was gone for about a minute, in which time we all tensed, waiting to hear him yell for help, but he crawled back through and waved for us to follow. 

The rest of us climbed the rock and crawled through the space on the top, then climbed down the other side and joined Luke in the hallway. Once we were all there, we turned to Raine. 

"Which door?" Luke whispered. The hallway we now stood in had several doors, all of which were shut and looked as if they had been for years. 

"The last one," Raine stated and pointed to the last door in the hall, directly across from where we stood. 

"Okay, let's go," Luke said, "But keep your eyes opened. Just because that's where Raven is doesn't mean that we won't get attacked by someone else from one of the other rooms." 

The seven of us huddled together as we began to move down the hallway. Cale and Luke were in front, Tal and Vaughn were in the back and somehow we three girls got stuck in the middle, the safest place to be. I could understand why Raine was there but the fact that the guys wanted to protect us just because we were girls really ticked me off. 

We made it to the final door without being attacked from anywhere else and we stood in front of it for a moment, contemplating the consequences and getting ourselves pumped for the battle. Finally, without a word, Luke grabbed the knob and pushed the door open. 

The door swung in with a loud _creeeeeeakkkkk_ that anyone would've heard within a mile radius. Since the element of surprise was gone, we decided that there was nothing left to do but rush in and confront whatever awaited us. 

Once inside the room, we weren't immediately attacked so we took the time to get used to our surroundings. The room was a rather large bedroom with a huge canopy bed and a vanity. The room was clean, which was a surprise considering the rest of the tower, and looked like it had been lived in. The room was lit by two oil lamps next to the bed but the far corner was swathed in shadows. It was there that the voice came from. 

"So, SeeDs, you have come." 

The voice was recognizably Raven's, yet it wasn't. There was something about the way she spoke the words and the words themselves that sent a chill down my spine. 

"Raven?" Raine whispered feebly from behind me. She sounded on the verge of tears. 

"Why have you come, SeeDs?" The voice floated out of the darkness but we still couldn't see her. "Have you come to destroy me?" 

"We came to save you," Tal called. 

A soft chuckle sounded in the dark. "Save me? It is you who need to be saved." 

Without warning, a glowing fireball erupted from the shadows and sped towards us. We managed to jump out of the way just in time and the spell hit the wall harmlessly behind us. 

"Get in formation!" Luke barked as we recovered, "Remember, we're not hear to defeat her, just to take her home." 

"Foolish SeeD," Raven cooed, "You should rethink that order if you wish to leave with your lives." 

Suddenly, two red dots of light flared in the shadows in the corner and I felt my heart stop for a split second. The lights moved and Raven Leonhart emerged from the darkness she had been concealed in. She wore a strapless black dress that was slit up the side and her black hair fell down her shoulders, making it hard to tell what was the fabric of the dress and what was her hair. She smiled as her crimson eyes fell on us. 

"You have come here, seeking your deaths. I shall give them to you." 

As ordered, the seven of us fell into formation, Kayla and Raine in the back, Vaughn and Tal in the middle and me, Luke and Cale up front. All of us readied our weapons in anticipation of her first attack. Instead, she turned towards the shadows she had just emerged from. 

"Come my knight," Raven beckoned, "Teach these SeeDs the meaning of pain." 

All of our attention was focused on the darkness as we detected movement. I heard Kayla gasp as Tristen Denko emerged, holding his katana in front of him. He looked down at us and we could all see that his eyes were glazed over as if he were in a trance. Without so much as a warning, he attacked. 

Tristen leapt forward, passed Raven and swung at the closest person, Luke. Luke blocked the swing with his gunblade but Tristen was so fast that he had pulled back and was lunging again before Luke even had time to register. Luckily, Vaughn fired at Tristen, hitting him in the arm and sending him back a few paces. Blood began to seep through Tristen's shirt where the bullet had gone in but as we watched, the blood flow stopped and the bullet pushed it's way back out of the wound. 

"Oh shit," Luke breathed. He rushed at Tristen, but Tristen saw him coming and batted him away with his katana as if he were a bothersome fly. Luke flew across the room and crashed into a wall, then slid to the floor. He was up again a second later with the help of a Cura spell from Raine, but not before Tristen attacked again. 

This time I was the target and he charged at me with his katana in the air. He slid to a stop in front of me and started to bring the blade down. I put my Sais in the air, catching his blade in between the blades of my weapons, then quickly cast a Quake spell. The ground cracked underneath him and I just managed to step back as he was tossed around by the earth's movements. When the spell had faded, he got to his feet and still expressionless, rushed at me again. This time Luke stepped in the way, having recovered from his flight across the room. He blocked the blade of Tristen's katana and Cale stepped in from the side, pummeling the older man's abdomen and chest while Luke kept his sword out of play. Taking the hint, I went to the other side and after a moment's hesitation, plunged my Sais deep into Tristen's flesh. Unfortunately, the blood stopped flowing almost as it began and I knew that the wound was already healing. 

"Raven's healing him!" Raine called from behind us, "We have to stop her!" 

Without warning, a Fira spell surged forward, connecting with Raven, who had stood behind and watched the fight. She hissed as the spell burned her and then turned her crimson eyes on her sister. 

"How dare you!" she seethed, "You will pay for your insolence!" A bright light began to gather around Raven's up stretched hands. "Holy." 

"Raine, look out!" 

The Holy spell left Raven's hands and shot towards Raine at deadly speed. Raine managed to dodge and the spell exploded onto the back wall, leaving a huge hole in it's wake. 

"We're gonna have to fight them both at the same time!" Luke called as he continued to struggle with Tristen. He was quickly losing the match. "Cale, Tal, Kaisa, you three focus on Raven. Me and Vaughn will deal with pretty boy here. Kayla, Raine, keep healing." 

Without questioning his orders, we broke up into the two groups Luke had dictated and the fight was continued. While Raven was more of a threat, we needed to take her down as quickly as possible to stop her from healing Tristen, who was much faster than any of us. After separating, Tal shot his Blaster Edge towards his sister, but it was deflected by a strong shield spell she had erected around herself. 

"There's no way we can get to her with that spell in place," Tal called as we dodged a blast of energy from Raven, "We've got to do something about it." 

"If we hit it hard enough, it should fall apart," I said and cast a Firaga spell at Raven, "It won't be able to handle a massive attack. Kayla!" 

"Yeah?" 

"Ready to do some damage?" 

"Oh you bet." 

"EMBER!" 

"BLAYZE!" 

The fire sisters appeared in front of Raven and then performed their Crimson Volcano attack. The attack was enough to shatter Raven's shield but none of the damage was done to her personally. The only thing we had accomplished was pissing her off. 

"This ends now SeeDs!" Raven hissed, "Apocalypse!" 

My eyes widened as I recognized the name of the most forbidden magic ever known to man. It was thought that it didn't even exist until the future, where Ultimecia had lived but here it was and it was coming right at us. The spell engulfed Tal, me and Cale, zapping the energy out of us and hurting us in the process. Once it was over, Tal was passed out on the floor, Cale was hunched over in pain and I was on my knees, gasping for breath. It was a miracle that we had survived. I heard Raine toss a Phoenix Down on her brother and he stood up, although shakily. 

"Use your Limit Breaks!" Kayla called, "Then I'll heal you!" 

I turned around and saw that she was glowing gold. Someone had cast an Aura spell on her. I faced back towards Raven again and saw that Cale had already launched into his Limit Break, Duel. He was punching and kicking Raven, although it didn't seem to be doing much good. She looked more annoyed than anything. After Cale was done, Tal started his Limit Break, Boomerang, in which he sent his Blaster Edge repeatedly at his sister. Seeing he was almost done with his attack, I shakily got to my feet. 

"Blue Magic," I whispered and felt the magic in my mind become stronger. I mentally went through the list of spells I could cast until I came to the perfect one, one of my new ones. "Ray Bomb!" 

The spell hit both Tristen and Raven, knocking them off guard and doing quite a bit of damage. As soon as the spell had left my lips, I felt the tingling sensation of curative magic envelope me. After it was done, I felt 100% better. Kayla had used Full Cure. 

"Stand back!" Tal ordered suddenly, "I'm gonna call Aquarius!" 

Cale and I got out of the way as Tal stepped forward and summoned his GF. The GF appeared, a man with blue skin and strange markings on his body. The GF then turned into water and enveloped Raven in a bubble, forcing her to hold her breath or drown. When the attack was done, Raven fell to the ground, soaking wet and coughing up water. 

Behind us, I heard Kayla scream. I spun around just in time to see Tristen casting a Flare spell in her direction. I started towards her but somehow, Tal beat me there. He jumped at Kayla, trying to knock her out of the way, but ended up taking the spell himself. He crumpled to the ground at Kayla's feet and didn't move. 

"Tal!" Kayla screamed and dropped to her knees next to him. 

"Kaisa, pay attention!" 

I spun around quickly as Cale shouted at me and was just in time to dodge a Firaga spell. Behind me, I could hear Kayla calling to Tal and crying, but I didn't dare turn around again, not even to see if he was alive. I focused my attention on Raven and cast another Quake spell. She merely laughed and cast Float on herself. While Cale wasted his time casting Dispel on her, I hit her with a Blizzaga spell. She hit the ground hard, half from the spell, half from losing her Float. 

Next to us, I heard someone slam into the wall again. I looked over and saw that it was Luke again, but this time he didn't get up right away. With my brother out of the picture, Tristen turned his sights on Vaughn, who had no defense in a hand-to-hand fight. Tristen swung his sword, swiping Vaughn's gun away. It clattered to the ground and spun away towards the wall. Vaughn quickly cast a Flare spell but it wasn't enough to slow Tristen down. He advanced on Vaughn and brought his sword up in an attack stance. 

"No!" I rushed over to Vaughn just as the blade was coming down and managed to get in between him and Tristen. I deflected the blade with my Sais once again but knew that I couldn't hold off Tristen for long. He was way too strong for me. I felt Tristen pushing his sword down, still trying to cut me and my arms were slowly but surely giving away. Suddenly, Vaughn's arms came around me and he closed his hands over mine, adding his strength to mine in an attempt to hold Tristen off for as long as we could. It worked for a few seconds but Tristen was just too strong, especially with the help of the sorceress. He once again began to push the blade towards us. I knew that if I didn't do something quick, we were going to die, so I did the only thing I could think of. I brought my foot back and kicked Tristen as hard as I could between the legs. 

Almost instantly, the pressure he was applying to the sword lessened and he howled in pain and doubled over. Vaughn and I jumped out of the way as his sword came down and then clattered to the ground. Not wasting any time, I slammed my Sais hilt first into Tristen's head. His eyes rolled back and he slumped to the ground. He was unconscious, at least for the moment. 

"Come on," I urged Vaughn, "we have to stop Raven before she heals him." 

Vaughn scooped up his gun and the two of us ran over to where Cale and Raine were trying desperately to hold back Raven as Kayla tried to heal Tal. We immediately jumped into the fray and managed to knock her back a few steps while Raine fell behind us to continue healing. I heard her cast a Curaga spell and a second later, Luke joined us as well. 

"This is it," he called as he fired a bullet from his gunblade into the new shield Raven had constructed, "We need to finish this now!" 

"Quake!" I shouted. This time, Raven wasn't quick enough to cast Float on herself. The spell slammed her around on the ground and managed to break her concentration, so her shield failed. She picked herself up slowly and glared at us with ruby fire. 

"Your end is near!" Raven cried demonically, "ULTIMA!" 

"Oh crap," Cale whispered. 

The forbidden magic engulfed us, sending shocks through our bodies and just all around messing us up. After it had passed, I was laying face down on the ground and I wasn't even sure if I was still alive. I could hear voices around me but I couldn't make out what anyone was saying. Suddenly, the tingly sensation of a Cure spell washed over me and I opened my eyes. In front of me, Cale was laying face down, not moving. I turned my head slightly and saw that Vaughn was leaning next to me. He didn't look like he was doing too good either. Luke was the only one I could see that was even remotely okay. He stood in front of us, firing spells at Raven while yelling at Vaughn to hurry up and heal us. 

"What's going on?" I asked, still a little disoriented, "Where's Kayla and Raine?" 

"They're both out," Vaughn informed, "Listen, do you have any Triple magic?" 

I stared at him blankly for a second before his words sank in. "Uh…yeah." 

"Good," Vaughn sighed, "Cast Triple on yourself and start healing us." 

"Okay." I pushed myself up into a sitting position and managed to access my spells. I cast Triple, although not without a fair amount of pain. Once the spell was in play, I cast a Curaga spell on me, Vaughn and Luke. I only had a few to start with so I had to use them wisely. While Vaughn and Luke continued their assault on Raven, I managed to find a few Phoenix Downs for the three who were unconscious. Once they came around, I cast Triple on Kayla, Raine and Luke, then Aura on Luke, Cale and myself. 

"Demon Slice!" Luke called as he accessed his Limit Break. He ran forward and began to chop up Raven. Next, I cast Micro Missile, which did quite a bit of damage. Last, Cale performed his Duel attack, further weakening the sorceress. After my Limit Break had been performed, I cast Aura on the three remaining fighters. Vaughn used his Limit Break, Shot with Pulse Ammo to lower Raven's power. Kayla used her Full Cure spell on us and Raine's Limit Break, Defender, allowed her to cast Shell and Protect on all of us. 

After I cast three Firaga spells on Raven and Luke went in for another round of Demon Slice, Raven fell to her knees, gasping for air. 

"It's over Raven," Luke called, "Just give up." 

Raven chuckled, an eerie hollow sound devoid of any emotion but anger. "You are right. It is over, for you." She looked up and her eyes were glowing brighter than before. "ANGEL WING!" 

Two black wings, which normally would've been white, erupted from Raven's back, carrying her into the air a few feet. This was her Limit Break, one she had learned from her mother and the result was not good for the receiving participants. 

"We've got to take her down now!" Luke yelled, knowing that a few spells cast by Raven now would mean our doom. 

"Meteor!" Cale screamed and the rocks fell from the sky, doing minimal damage to the now super-amped sorceress. 

"Ha!" Raven's voice echoed throughout the room. "You'll have to do better than that." 

"You asked for it," Vaughn muttered under his breath. "Ultima!" 

The same spell that had almost meant our deaths had about half the effect on Raven. Her face contorted in pain while the spell was being cast but afterwards, it seemed to have no effect. 

"I grow weary of this battle, SeeDs," Raven stated. She lifted her hands above her head and a ball of dark energy gathered there. "Maelstrom!" 

The dark energy slammed into us, zapping our strength and afflicting Curse on us so we couldn't us our Limit Breaks. Immediately, Kayla and Raine started to heal but I could tell by the potency of their spells that they were getting tired. In fact, I was getting tired as well and I could tell that the guys were too. On the other hand, Raven seemed to be getting stronger by the minute. If we didn't end this now, the only end would be our own. 

Suddenly, I remembered something I had learned in one of my classes as a cadet. During the final battle with Ultimecia, she had drawn Apocalypse from her own body, which meant that the SeeDs fighting her could draw it as well. Since I was only junctioned to use Magic, GFs and Items, I turned to Vaughn. 

"Can you draw?" I asked eagerly. 

He took a shot at Raven, then looked at me like I was crazy. "What?" 

"Can you draw?" I repeated. 

"Oh. No," Vaughn answered, finally realizing what I meant, "I didn't think we'd need it." 

"What about Luke or Cale?" I persisted. 

"No," Vaughn shook his head, "They're junctioned the same as me." 

"Kayla!" I shouted and turned to her. She was alternately casting curative spells on the fighters and trying desperately to revive Tal. She looked up when I called. "Can you draw?" 

She looked at me blankly, much like Vaughn had. _Damn slow-witted Kinneas'!_ I cursed to myself. Luckily, I didn't have to wait for her to figure out what I was talking about because Raine spoke up. 

"I can," she announced. 

I sighed with relief. "Draw Apocalypse from Raven and then cast it back at her!" 

Raine nodded and I heard her whisper, "Draw Apocalypse." 

Raven grunted in surprise as the colorful orbs of magic left her body and entered Raine's. 

"It's gonna take me a minute to cast them," Raine called up to me, "This is some pretty powerful magic." 

"We'll cover you," I assured, "but hurry." I turned back to the fight and triple-cast some Blizzaga spells. They didn't do much damage, but they didn't need to. All they had to do was keep Raven distracted. The guys seemed to catch on to my plan and they too began firing high level spells at the sorceress. Finally, after what seemed like ages, I heard Raine shout "Apocalypse!" 

The rest of us watched in tense anticipation as the spell slammed into Raven three times. The sorceress wailed in shock and pain but by the time the last spell had hit, she was crumpled on the ground, not moving. We all stood, silently watching for any sign of movement but there was none except the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. 

"What now?" Cale asked finally. 

"We take them back to Garden," Luke informed. 

"How are we going to get them there?" I questioned, "We don't want to take them with us. What if they wake up?" 

"Just toss a Sleep Powder on each of them," Luke shrugged, "It'll keep 'em out for a while. We'll just keep them asleep until we get back." 

"How're we gonna get them back to the Ragnarok?" Vaughn inquired, "We can carry her but not him." He nudged Tristen's unconscious form with the toe of his boot. 

"We'll have to bring the Ragnarok to them," Luke answered, "Me and Cale can go get it. The rest of you wait here." 

"Hurry, okay?" I pleaded, "I don't want to be here any longer than I have to." 

Luke and Cale agreed and they hurried from the room. Vaughn wasted no time in covering both the sorceress and her knight with Sleep Powder. Once this was done, we were finally able to take a deep breath and relax slightly. The first thing I did was go to where Kayla and Raine were kneeling next to Tal. 

"Is he gonna be all right?" I asked. 

"Yeah," Kayla answered with a weak smile. I could tell she had been crying. "He's still unconscious but once he comes around he should be fine." 

"What about you?" I turned to Raine. "You okay?" 

"Yeah," she nodded, "just a little weak." 

"That was some awesome spell casting," I praised, "You're gonna be a top-notch SeeD some day." 

The younger girl blushed slightly. "Thanks." 

Vaughn came over and joined us and we sat down to wait for the Ragnarok. We figured it would take them about an hour to get there and make it back but forty-five minutes later we heard the huge ship approaching. Vaughn went to the nearby window to watch as they approached while the rest of us stayed with Tal. When they spotted him at the window, Luke's voice came over the external intercom. 

"We're gonna tear this wall out," he announced, "get everyone into the hallway incase the roof falls in." 

Vaughn nodded and helped us carry the three unconscious people into the dirty hallway. We waited a few seconds and then we could hear the mechanical arms of the ship moving and a moment later, a loud crash as the wall was torn away. Hearing no accompanying crash from the roof, we waited for Luke's okay. A minute later, he entered the hallway from the bedroom. 

"Come on," he said, "We've got the cargo ramp sitting in the room but Cale's afraid that roof won't hold out long. We'd better hurry." 

Vaughn and I drug Tristen back into the bedroom while Luke scooped up Raven and Kayla and Raine half carried, half drug Tal. After Luke had deposited Raven's body in the infirmary on the ship, he came back and helped us with Tristen. Once Tristen was loaded, he came back one last time for Tal, who he picked up almost as effortlessly as he had Raven. 

"Okay guys," he called as he carried the brunette boy to the ship, "Let's get the hell outta here." 

That was the most beautiful sentence I had ever heard and I wasted no time in getting on the ship. Once we were all on board, the cargo ramp was shut and we were on our way back to Balamb Garden. Kayla and I remained in the infirmary where the three unconscious people were, looking over Tal and making sure the other two didn't wake up. We had only been in the air a few minutes when Tal regained consciousness. 

"Hey," he smiled weakly at Kayla, who was leaning over him, "Did we do it?" 

"Yeah," Kayla nodded, tears forming in her eyes. 

"Good," Tal sighed and then closed his eyes again, though this time it was obvious that he was only sleeping. 

"He's gonna be fine," I assured Kayla, whose tears were now spilling down her cheeks. 

"I know," she smiled, "I was just so worried." 

I hugged her tightly. "Maybe you should get some rest before we get back." 

"No," she shook her head and wiped away the tears, "I'm gonna stay here with him for a little while." 

"Okay." 

I walked out of the makeshift infirmary room and back up to where Vaughn and Raine were in the passenger area. I could see that Raine was already asleep in her seat so I didn't tell her about Tal. She needed the rest. I went and sat next to Vaughn. 

"Tal just woke up," I informed. 

"Is he okay?" Vaughn inquired. 

"Yeah," I replied, "He's asleep again through." 

"How's Kayla holding up?" 

"She's fine now that she knows he's okay," I told him. I paused and sighed. "She really does care for him." 

"Don't sound so upset," he grinned, "They're your best friends. They aren't gonna stop hanging around with you just because they're dating or whatever." 

"I know," I acknowledged, "It's just gonna be weird." 

"Well, then you need to find your own boyfriend to hang out with," Vaughn said, "That way you won't be the odd one out." 

I blushed slightly and stood up. "I think I'm gonna go make sure Kayla's okay." 

"You just came from there," Vaughn reminded. 

"I know." Before he could say any more, I hurried back to the infirmary. When I entered, I was surprised to see Kayla standing next to Tristen's bed. She was gazing down at him strangely. I walked over and stopped beside her. 

"You know," she began, "I used to think he was the most perfect guy in the world, but after what he did to Tal and almost to me, he's nothing more than normal guy. One I don't particular like, at that." 

"Does this mean the crush is over?" I teased. 

"Yes," she answered seriously, "I could never see him in the same way again." She turned away from the silver-haired man and looked up at me. "Why don't you go and get some rest? You definitely earned it. I'll watch over things here." 

"Are you sure?" I asked, "Don't you want to rest?" 

"Nah," she declined, "I'll be all right. Besides, I want to be here if Tal wakes up again." 

"Okay," I agreed, "I'll come and check on you later to see if you want a break." 

"Okay." 

I left the infirmary again and reentered the passenger area. Raine was still asleep and Vaughn seemed to be on the verge of it. I picked a row of seats near the middle and after moving all the armrests up, stretched out across them. I was only planning on resting my eyes but in seconds I was asleep. 

I was awakened by the sound of Luke's voice over the intercom. "…so be ready." 

I opened my eyes and blinked away the sleep. I started to sit up and realized that I was covered by something. I looked down and saw that it was Vaughn's coat. I pushed myself into a sitting position and saw that he was sitting in the row across from me. He smiled when he saw I was awake. 

"'Morning sunshine," he grinned. 

I yawned in response. "What was Luke saying?" 

"We're coming up on Balamb right now," Vaughn informed, "He said that they've been trying to raise us on the radio ever since we left Centra and they sounded totally pissed. He said to be ready for our parents and the Headmaster when we land." 

I turned towards the window by my head and could just make out the lights of the Garden before the plane banked, obviously correcting so we could land. I shivered and pulled Vaughn's coat tighter around me. After the stunt we pulled, things were not going to be pretty for us when we got home. 

--------------------------------- 

It's a miracle! I wrote a whole chapter in just two days! This will be the last one for a while though, as I'm going to be without out a computer for an indefinate amound of time (probably a month or more). But since you have to wait so long, I will give you a sneak peak into the next chapter. 

**Chapter 11: The Search for the Odine Bangles   
**After returning to Garden and getting thoroughly yelled at, the parents decide that they need to find some Odine Bangles for Raine and Rinoa incase the sorceress comes after them again. They discover that the only place to find these is in Timber (the old doc passed on a few years back). The only problem with this is that Dollet and Timber are in the middle of a land dispute and no one is allowed in or out of Timber, which Dollet has occupied. As a solution, the orginal SeeDs and their children decide to parachute into the surrounding forests and then sneak into the city. Unfortunately, they are fired upon while jumping and Vaughn and Kaisa end up a ways away from the intending landing point. They figure the best thing to do is stay put so the others can find them, so they end up spending the night in a forest, alone. Of course, when Seifer does find them, he's not too happy...


	11. Consequences

**Chapter 11: Consequences**

"I cannot _believe_ you guys did this!"

Kayla, me, Vaughn, Luke, Cale and Raine all winced as my mother's shrill voice cut into our eardrums. She was super-pissed. We had just landed the Ragnarok and exited. Our parents were waiting for us in the hangar. The look of shock on their faces was priceless when they saw that it wasn't only the boys, but me, Kayla and Raine as well. Uncle Squall hadn't looked too thrilled when he heard that Tal was sleeping in the ship but we figured that bringing Tristen and Raven back would lessen our punishment a little bit. If we hadn't had them, we would've high-tailed it to Trabia to live with the Shumi as artisans.

"Listen, Mom…" Luke started.

"Excuse me," my father interrupted, "But did I tell you that you could talk?"

"No, I…"

"Then don't," my dad snapped and Luke fell silent.

"It's bad enough that you stole the Ragnarok and went after the sorceress," my mom continued, "But to take your younger siblings! What were you thinking?"

"Actually Mom," I defended, "We made them take us. It was our choice. They didn't want us to go"  
My mother's icy blue eyes fell on me and she stared for a moment, making me shiver inside. "So then, you're as much to blame as they are?"

I sighed in defeat and looked at the ground. "Yes."

"Then you will all be punished accordingly," my mother stated.

We all turned towards the Ragnarok as Uncle Squall came down the ramp, carrying Raven. He was followed by Uncle Irvine and Uncle Zell, who were pushing a stretcher with Tristen on it. Last came Aunt Selphie, helping Tal out of the cargo hold.

"How are they?" my mom asked as the group joined her and my dad.

"Fine," Squall informed.

"Raven and Tristen are still out because of the Sleep Powder," Aunt Selphie explained, "We figure it'll be best to keep them sedated until we figure out how to handle them. As for Tal here, he'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

Tal grinned sheepishly and avoided eye contact as they left the hangar, heading for the infirmary. Once they were gone, my mom's gaze fell on us again.

"While I would love to stand here and lecture you all night, I know that you have been through a lot and would like to get some sleep," my mom said, "So I'm going to let you go, but, you will be punished and until that punishment is decided and executed, all of you are under house arrest. None of you are allowed to leave the Garden under any circumstances."

"Mom, we're in the middle of the ocean," Luke smirked, "where are we gonna go?"

"Straight to the bottom if you keep mouthing off to your mother," my dad promised. Luke glared but fell silent.

"And one more thing," my mother started, "All of you have a meeting with Headmaster Cid at 0900 hours so I suggest you get some sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a rough day for all of you. In fact, I'll be very surprised if you are all still SeeDs come tomorrow."

With that, she turned on her heel and left the hangar. My dad hesitated a moment, then followed behind her. Once they were out of earshot, I exhaled a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding.

"We really screwed up this time," I said, "We're gonna get our SeeDs titles stripped from us. We'll be lucky if we don't get expelled."

"They can't expel us," Luke insisted, "Our parents live here. Where are we supposed to go?"

"I don't understand why they're so mad," Raine stated, "We brought Raven and Tristen back. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Not when you steal the Ragnarok and sneak out of the Garden to do it," Cale commented.

"Come on," Vaughn urged, "Let's just get some sleep and talk about it in the morning. There's nothing we can do now."

The rest of us agreed and we headed towards the dormitories. Of course, no one was awake at this hour so we didn't run into anyone on the way. We all went out separate ways to our dorms. Once inside, I changed into my pajamas and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

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The next morning, I was awakened by a pounding on my door and Kayla calling my name.

"Go away!" I grumbled and pulled my blankets over my head.

"Kaisa, get up!" Kayla insisted frantically, "We have to meet with Headmaster Cid in twenty minutes!"

Those words got my attention and I sprang up in bed. My eyes immediately fell on my clock. 0838. I hadn't set the alarm last night because I'd been too tired. I scrambled out of bed and rushed to the door. When it opened, I saw that both Kayla and Tal were waiting outside, dressed in their SeeD uniforms. They looked at me in shock when they realized that I had just gotten out of bed.

"Oh Hyne!" Tal exclaimed, "What are you doing? We're gonna be late!"

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I questioned.

"We figured you'd show up sooner or later," Tal stated, "I mean, this is only the most important meeting of our lives. We didn't figure you'd sleep through it."

"It's good to see you're okay," I replied sarcastically.

"Enough!" Kayla insisted and pushed me back into my room. "Go! Get ready! We'll wait for you but for the love of Hyne hurry!"

I nodded and after grabbing my own uniform out of the closet, hurried into the bathroom. I showered and changed in record time and was out in the room again with seven minutes before the meeting with the Headmaster. As soon as they saw I was ready to go, Kayla and Tal dragged me out of my room and we practically ran to the elevator. We rode it up to the Headmaster's office on the third floor and we relieved to see that the Headmaster wasn't there yet. Everyone else was, however, dressed in their SeeD uniforms, except for Raine, who was in her cadet uniform.

"We were starting to think that maybe you guys had decided to abandon ship and swim to land," Luke teased.

"Kaisa was still asleep when we went to get her," Tal grumbled. I shot him a glare but he didn't see it.

Luke chuckled. "Figures."

Another glare was sent in my brother's direction but he didn't see it either because at that moment the back door of the Headmaster's office opened, admitting my mom, Uncle Squall and Headmaster Cid. All seven of us snapped to attention and saluted as Cid sat down at his desk. my mom and Squall took their places, one standing on each side.

"At ease," Headmaster Cid said and we dropped the salute but remained ramrod straight and professional. "I trust all of you know why you're here." None of us answered, just as the Headmaster expected. He continued. "What you did last night broke several Garden rules. Quistis, could you tell them the rules they broke?"

My mom nodded. "Out after curfew, stealing Garden property, using stolen Garden property, endangering a cadet, using Garden property on a mission not sanctioned by Garden…"

"Thank you Quistis," Cid interrupted, "That'll do for now." He turned back to us. "The list goes on, I'm afraid. While any one of these transgressions could result in losing your SeeD title, all of them together warrant a strippage of title and expulsion. However, you did manage to battle a sorceress and her knight, and bring back two members of Garden safely. I considered this when contemplating you punishment."

The entire group of us stiffened, waiting for the inevitable.

"Now," Headmaster Cid continued, "I want you to know that your punishment is non-negotiable. What I have decided is what will be, no discussion. Do you understand?"

We nodded. I caught a glimpse of my mom and saw that she was almost as nervous as we were. Apparently Cid hadn't told her what our punishment was.

"Now on to your punishment. When you chose to take the Ragnarok in search of the sorceress, all of you must've known the consequences. That makes you either very noble or very stupid, I haven't decide which, although I've been leaning towards the latter. On the other hand, the seven of you managed to detain a sorceress and her knight without unnecessary harm to either them or your team, which is very impressive. In my life, I've only seen one other group of people do that and I believe you know who I mean. You are obviously valuable members of SeeD so your punishment is this: three months probation, during which time if you slip up even once you will be stripped of your Seed title and expelled without delay. Also, you have one month of clean-up duty in the Ragnarok hangar. Every time that ship comes back, the seven of you will make sure it is spotless inside and out for it's next mission. You can start with that as soon as you leave here."

The seven of us stared at the Headmaster, practically gaping. All of us weren't quite sure that we'd heard right. Luckily, Cale spoke up to clarify the situation.

"Excuse me Headmaster," he said, "But I'm not quite sure I heard you right. We're not expelled?"

"No."

"And we're still SeeDs?"

"Yes Mr. Dincht," Cid grinned, "You are still SeeDs. Except of course for Miss Leonhart, who is only a cadet."

Next to the Headmaster, my mom was all smiles. "Thank you sir."

"Edea's the one you should be thanking," he told her, "She rationalized the situation for me." He glanced back at us, seemingly surprised to see that we were still standing there. "Oh yes, you are dismissed."

As one, we saluted, then hightailed it back to the elevator. We were all in such a hurry to get away from the third floor that all seven of us crammed into the cab. the door barely had room to close without part of Luke getting stuck in it. He pushed the button for the first floor and we began to descend.

"I can't believe we didn't get expelled!" Kayla exclaimed and with a shriek of glee, threw her arms around Tal's neck in a tight hug. After a brief hesitation in which he glanced at Vaughn out of the corner of his eye, he hugged her back.

"And we're still SeeDs!" Cale added excitedly and began to shadowbox in the crowded elevator. I ducked and shrank back against the wall to avoid getting hit.

"Cool it Cale before you knock someone out," Vaughn chided.

"Sorry man," Cale apologized and stopped boxing, but continued to bounce around, "I'm just happy. We really dodged a bullet you know."

"I don't know why you guys were so worked up," Luke commented, trying to act cool, "I told you everything would turn out fine."

"Give me a break," Raine scoffed, "I looked over at you during the meeting and your face was so white, I thought you were gonna pass out!"

Raine and I laughed at Luke as he went on the defensive.

"Whatever."

The elevator reached the first floor and we piled off of it. Because Cid had told us to get started on the Ragnarok right away, we all went back to our rooms to change, then meet in the hangar. After changing into shorts and tank tops, Kayla and I met Tal and Raine outside our rooms and the four of us made our way to the hangar.

When we got there, we weren't surprised to find it deserted. It was just like the guys to be late when there was work to do. Luckily we only had to wait a few minutes.

"Here's how I figure it," Luke started as he stopped in front of us, "Since we have to do inside and out, we should split into two groups. Us three will take the inside and the four of you can do the outside."

"No way," I argued, "the inside is way easier to clean than the outside. There's no way you guys are getting off easier than us. If it wasn't for us, the three of you would be doing the whole thing by yourself."

"She's got a point," Vaughn acknowledged.

Luke ignored him and looked down at me. "Well then, what do you suggest we do?"

"Work together on the outside and the inside," I told him, "We'll get it done twice as fast that way."

"All right," Luke agreed, "Let's get started."

The seven of us went to a huge metal cabinet against the hangar wall where the cleaning items for the ship were kept. We got the products for inside and entered the ship.

Half an hour later, the inside of the ship was spotless and we emerged to get started on the outside. We returned the inside items and began to set up for the outside. First, we decided who was going to do what. After drawing straws, it was determined that Luke, Cale and Raine would operate the hoses from the ground while the rest of us would scrub the ship. While Cale, Luke and Raine brought out the hoses and hooked them up to the special spigots on the wall, me, Kayla, Tal and Vaughn filled up buckets from the regular faucets and then set up special ladders around the ship so we could get on top of it. Once everything was set up, we got to work.

"So," I called to the others after a few minutes, "Does anyone know what's going on with Raven and Tristen?"

"They're being kept sedated," Raine shouted from the floor.

"For how long?" Kayla inquired as she scrubbed a portion of the ship.

"For as long as it takes, I guess," Raine answered vaguely.

"Hey Kaisa," Tal called from the front of the ship where he was washing, "I've been meaning to ask you, where did you get Quake magic?"

I stared at him dumbly for a second. "Huh?"

"Last night you used Quake magic several times," he explained, "so I was just wondering, where'd you get it?"

"Oh, I refined some Dino Bones."

The second the words were out of my mouth I realized what a mistake I'd made. I had told him and Kayla about my encounter with the T-Rexaurs in the TC but I hadn't told them that Vaughn had come to the rescue and that we'd killed them. As far as they knew, the monsters that had attacked me were still alive and well, therefore I shouldn't have any Dino Bones.

"Where'd you get Dino Bones?" Kayla asked, suddenly in on the conversation as well.

"From the Training Center," I told them nonchalantly as I continued to wash the ship, "You know, people kill T-Rexaurs all the time and sometimes they're in such a hurry to leave that they don't take their items. I found the Bones just laying around."

Lame explanation, I know, but they seemed to buy it and let the matter drop. I changed a glance over at Vaughn and saw that he was grinning widely. Of course, he knew the true story about my Dino Bones so he must've deduced that I had lied to Kayla and Tal to keep my meeting with him secret, which obviously meant I had a crush on him. Damn! I had just unwittingly revealed the identity of my secret crush to the one person who shouldn't know.

After the conversation about the Dino Bones, the four of us fell into silence, only occasionally talking while concentrating on not falling off of the Ragnarok when we were cleaning some of the more precariously positioned pieces. About an hour or so after starting the outside, we were finished. The four of us climbed down from the ship while the three on the ground rinsed it with the hoses.

Once on the concrete floor of the hangar, I took my bucket of soapy water and started towards the front of the ship where a large drain was set into the floor to allow the water to drain out of the hangar. I was just about to dump my bucket down the drain when I heard my name.

"Kaisa."

I turned around to find Vaughn Kinneas standing a few feet behind me. He started to say something, then acting like he tripped, threw his bucket of water at me. The water hit me, soaking my hair, black tank top and my blue denim shorts. I stared at him, wide-eyed and opened mouthed, with my hair hanging around my face in soggy ropes. Finally, after hearing his laughter, I came to my senses and threw my bucket of water on him. I aimed high so the water hit him square in the face, knocking off his cowboy hat and soaking his white T-shirt. His laughter died in a sputter of water.

"Oh, it's on now Almasy," he warned and without hesitation, he ran back to the faucets to fill up his bucket. I thought about doing the same but figured I'd have to fight for it, so instead I ran to where Raine was standing.

"Raine, let me have the hose," I insisted.

"Why?" she asked, eyeing my wet clothes questioningly. Vaughn and I had been on the other side of the plane, so she hadn't seen what happened.

"Because I need it," I told her and without warning, snatched the hose out of her hands and hurried towards where Vaughn was filling up his bucket.

Because the hoses were especially designed to watch the ship, they had adjustable nozzles that allowed the water to practically peel the paint off at it's highest setting or gently sprinkle at the lowest. Since I didn't really want to hurt Vaughn, I adjusted the nozzle to about half and waited for him to turn around.

"Ready or not Kai, here I…"

Vaughn trailed off as he saw me standing there with the hose. Before he had time to throw his bucket of water or run, I opened fire with the hose. The stream of water hit him in the chest, causing him to drop his bucket. It hit the ground and rolled away, spilling it's contents.

Seeing that he was overpowered, Vaughn charged at me and grabbed the hose, trying to take it away from me. I refused to give in and we began to fight over it. As we did so, the water stream went in all different directions. A sudden gasp near us caused us to stop for a second to see what had happened. We both cracked up laughing when we saw Kayla standing there, her hair and face soaking wet. Our laughter subsided and with a quick glance at each other, Vaughn and I turned the hose on her.

Kayla squealed and tried to stop the water with her hands. Hearing her cries, Tal came to help her and in return, got soaked as well. Suddenly, from our left, a stream of water hit us. We turned in that direction and saw Luke had decided to join the battle as well. Before long, the entire hangar had broken out into an all-out water fight.

Who knew how long the seven of us would've stayed in there, soaking each other and having a great time, if we hadn't been interrupted.

"What is going on here?"

The stern voice echoed in the concrete hangar and we all stopped what we were doing and turned towards the source. My mother stood near the hangar door, her eyes wide in disbelief and anger. Luckily she hadn't caught a stray stream of water of we'd all be dead.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded and started towards us, her SeeD boots clicking on the dry concrete and splashing on the wet. "You are supposed to be washing the Ragnarok, not having a wet T-shirt contest!"

Next to me, Vaughn grinned at the thought and I elbowed him before my mom saw his smile. He frowned down at me and didn't smile again.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?" my mom continued.

We all looked at each other, none of us wanting to speak and condemn ourselves. Finally, Luke broke the silence.

"We did clean the Ragnarok," he told her and motioned to the crimson ship, "Look."

We turned to look at our handy work and saw that the ship did look good. It was practically sparkling in the glow from the overhead lights.

My mom's stern face remained. "All right, it is clean, but that doesn't explain your childish behavior. The reason I'm here is to tell you that all of you except Raine are to report to Commander Leonhart's conference room ASAP. Considering the circumstances however, I'm obliged to give you ten minutes to clean up the hangar and yourselves. You will then report to the Commander's conference room and I suggest that you not be late." With that, she turned and left the hangar.

"Man, she can be a real hardass sometimes," Vaughn commented as we began to put the washing equipment away.

"She's still pissed off about last night," Luke explained, "She's disappointed that her children did something so stupid. She's afraid we're gonna turn out like our dad."

"Shut up," I snapped, "there's nothing wrong with Dad. She's pissed because she doesn't want me to turn out like you."

"So, what do you think this meeting's about?" Cale started before Luke and I could continue our argument.

"I don't know," Tal answered, "but I know I don't want to be late so we better hurry."

After putting away the cleaning stuff, we hurried back to the dorms to change. Raine was pouting because she wasn't invited to the meeting, which suggested that it was some kind of SeeD conference. I was eager to find out what the meeting was about so I changed quickly and pulled my hair back into a ponytail after wringing the excess water out of it. After changing, the six of us met in the hallway outside the dorms and went together up to the third floor.

When we entered Uncle Squall's conference room, we were surprised to see our parents, except Aunt Rinoa and Aunt Cammi, were there. Even Aunt Fujin and Uncle Raijin were sitting in chairs at the table. Uncle Squall, who sat at the head of the table, stopped his conversation with my father and looked up.

"Have a seat," he said and we all took chairs around the table. Once we were seated, he continued. "You may or may not know this, but Raven and Tristen are still under Sorceress Lantana's control. We are keeping them sedated with drugs and sleep spells but we have had to up the dosage twice since they were brought last night. Because part of the sorceress is inside them, they are able to use her powers to fight off the sedative. We won't be able to keep them unconscious for much longer. Dr. Kadowaki says that by two nights from tonight, they will be able to completely counteract the sedative no matter how much we give them."

"What are we gonna do?" Cale asked.

Uncle Squall glared and Cale averted his gaze. "The only thing we can do is find some Odine Bangles for them."

"Odine Bangles?" Luke repeated doubtfully, "Aren't those things. like, impossible to find?"

"Since Dr. Odine's death, people have been hoarding the few Bangles that remain and charging outrageous prices for them. Fortunately, on a mission to Timber a while ago, Zell came across a shop that sells them, although the price is somewhat exorbant."

"But Timber…" Tal started.

"Yes," Squall interrupted, "Timber is being occupied by Dollet and no one is allowed in or out. We are going to be parachuting into the forest outside of Timber, then sneak into the city itself."

"We?" Tal asked, "You mean, like, all of us?" He motioned around the table.

"Yes," Squall nodded, "the fifteen of us will be leaving tomorrow at…"

"Fifteen?" Uncle Zell interrupted, "But there's only fourteen of us. Who else is going?"

Uncle Squall sighed. "Rinoa insisted on going as well."

"Mom!" Tal exclaimed and jumped out of his seat, "Mom's awake? How is she?"

Squall motioned for his son to sit. "Yes, she's awake. She's fine. Dr. Kadowaki wants to keep her overnight for observation but knowing your mother, that's probably not going to happen."

"Why didn't you tell me she was awake?" Tal questioned and sunk back into his chair.

"Because we need to deal with the Odine Bangles first," Squall told him sternly. "Now, as I was saying, we will leave tomorrow at 1900 hours. Fujin and Raijin will fly the Ragnarok and the rest of us will parachute into the Timber forest."

"Why don't we just land the plane and hike into the city?" Irvine asked.

"Because," my dad answered, obviously annoyed at Uncle Irvine's stupidity. "The Dollet military has a high tech radar system that can detect a plane within a ten mile radius of the city. They'll know we're there and beef up security or shoot us out of the sky. We'd never get in."

"They how are we supposed to parachute into the forest?" Irvine countered, "Won't they see the plane and shoot us down?"

"Zell," Uncle Squall said.

"Right," Uncle Zell smiled, "Their radar is high tech, but it has a glitch that doesn't allow it to detect objects in the air above 500 feet. All we have to do is fly above 500 and they'll never know we're there."

"What about when we jump?" Vaughn inquired, "Won't they detect us on the way down?"

"No," Zell replied, "The radar will only pick up objects the size of a small car or bigger."

"I'm not complaining," Vaughn assured, "But isn't that kind of a design flaw?"

"It was made that way so that wildlife such as birds and flying monsters wouldn't interfere with it," Zell explained.

"Now that that's done, I'll continue with the plan," Squall stated. "After parachuting into the forest, the thirteen of us will regroup and then a scout team will go to the borders of the city and report back. We will then divide into three groups and, waiting until nightfall, each enter the city at separate points. Two teams will be decoys and one team will go in to retrieve the Odine Bangles. If something happens to the main team, the other two teams will do anything necessary to get the Bangles. Remember, we have to get those Odine Bangles no matter what. Once the Bangles are acquired, we will rendezvous in the forest, then meet up with the Ragnarok nearby. Because of the radar, the escape must be precisely planned or the ship could be shot down. Are there any questions?" Everyone shook their heads. "All right everyone, get plenty of rest tonight because you probably wont' get any sleep tomorrow. Dismissed."

Everyone stood up to leave except Tal.

"I'm gonna wait for my Dad, then go see my mom," he explained.

Kayla and I nodded, then left the conference room with the others. Our parents stopped outside the room and began to discuss the mission while the rest of us rode the elevator back down to the first floor. Because of the early meeting with Cid and then washing the Ragnarok, none of us had eaten anything so we headed to the cafeteria. Kayla and I chose a table away from our brothers and talked a little about the mission. After eating, we headed back to our dorms. Because of the meeting and the strenuous cleaning. I was kind of tired. I decided the best thing to do was go back to my room and take a little nap.

After saying goodbye to Kayla, I went into my room and fell asleep as soon as I laid down. I was awakened a few hours later by the ringing of my telephone. I groaned loudly and answered it.

"What?"

"My my my, aren't we a little ray of sunshine." It was Kayla.

"This is the second time you woke me up today. Forgive me if I'm a little cranky."

"Cry me a river," Kayla chuckled. "Me and Tal were headed to the Training Center. You wanna come?"

I almost agreed before I remembered the way Kayla had stood vigil by him in the Ragnarok. She definitely had strong feelings for him and I was pretty sure they were mutual. I decided to give them some alone time.

"No thanks," I declined, "I'm still wiped out. I'll catch up with you guys later."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"All right," Kayla agreed, "If you're not up and about before then we'll come and get you for dinner."

"Okay."

I hung up the phone and laid back down but, of course, I wasn't tired anymore. I laid there for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling before deciding that I wasn't falling back to sleep. I sighed and sat up again, plugged in my computer and logged on to the Garden network. I went into the infirmary reports and saw that Aunt Rinoa was to be discharged early tomorrow morning. She had recovered completely. Aunt Cammi was still unconscious and showed no signs of waking any time soon. I also tried to check on Raven and Tristen but I didn't find their names on the dwindling list of patients. The whole thing was probably kept quiet to avoid a repeat of what had happened with Tristen before.

After logging off, I turned off the computer and decided to go for a walk around the Garden. "When bored and restless, nothing cures like a walk around the blue Garden." That had been a slogan Headmaster Cid had thought up when people started getting into trouble when the Garden was mobile.

I waited another five minutes just to be sure that Kayla and Tal would already be at the TC, then left my room. I wandered down the Dormitory corridor and out into the main hall. I passed a few SeeDs and cadets but none that I really knew. I wandered down the hallway, not really paying attention to my surroundings. My thoughts were more focused on the mission tomorrow and what could happen.

You know how in those cheesy teen movies the girl will be walking down the hallway and accidentally run into the guy she has a huge crush on and you think "That's so lame. That never happens in real life." Well, it does. My mind was so focused on what was going to happen tomorrow that I was completely spaced out and WHAM! I slammed right into Vaughn Kinneas. I bounced off and stumbled back and he grabbed a hold of my arms to steady me. I blinked a couple of times and looked up to see who I had ran into.

"Sorry!" I apologized before it even dawned on me who it was. When I finally realized, I nearly choked.

"Hey," he greeted, letting go of my arms, "What a coincidence, I was just looking for you."

My stomach did a cartwheel. "You were? Why?"

"I wanted to ask you about something that was said earlier," he told me, "you know, when we were cleaning the Ragnarok"  
I swallowed hard. I was pretty sure what he was going to ask. "Oh really? What?"

"How come you lied to Kayla and Tal about how you got the Dino Bones?"

_Dammit dammit dammit dammit DAMMIT!_ "Uh, I don't know."

He grinned, knowing the exact reason why I had lied to them. A sudden thought occurred to me.

"Why didn't you tell Luke about our conversation on the beach?"

"What makes you think I didn't?"

"He would've never passed up the opportunity to make fun of me," I told him truthfully.

"Oh," Vaughn said as if he hadn't known what I was talking about, "You mean when you asked me to go to bed with you."

"I did not!" I defended, "I told you, the words came out wrong but that doesn't change the fact that you didn't tell him about it."

"Kai," he started cooly, "Think about it. How stupid would I have to be to tell your big brother that you had propositioned me? He'd probably pop my head right off my shoulders."

Dammit! He was right! He had a perfectly logical explanation while I had none. There was only one thing left to do: get away while I had the chance. I decided to play the cool card like he had and casually flipped my hair behind my shoulders. "Well, I've got somewhere to be. See you later Vaughn."

I started to walk by him but he stopped me with a hand on my arm. I nonchalantly looked up at him, trying to convince him that I couldn't care less about him. "Was there something else that you wanted?"

He grinned down at me and I felt my cool exterior crumbling. He really was cute, there was no denying that, and his charm made it that much harder to resist him. I suddenly remembered the battle with Tristen the night before and how Vaughn had put his arms around me to help hold off the katana. I had to fight to keep from grinning like an idiot. My heart began to beat faster as he leaned down closer to me.

"Aside from those who are closely related to you, there isn't a man in this Garden who would pass up the chance to go to bed with you," he whispered, "Me included."

"Oh Hyne." I felt my heartbeat speed up even more and I was having trouble drawing breath. Had he just said what I thought he said?

He straightened up. "Of course, if I even thought about it, your brother and father would tear me apart." He let go of my arm. "See you later Kaisa."

Vaughn walked away and I stood staring at his retreating figure. After he had disappeared into the dorm hallway, my mind started working again and I realized that he had just totally worked me. The whole conversation had been to see if I really had a crush on him and being the flake that I am, I had gone right along with it. Now he knew for sure that I liked him. Dammit! Why was this happening to me? I really needed to talk to someone about everything but I was reluctant to discuss it with Kayla because of the teasing factor and because her and Tal's weird behavior was one of the things I needed to get off my chest. I decided that there was only one person I could talk to. After weighing the pros and cons, I headed for the dorms.

I walked down several hallways before I came to the door I was looking for. On the other side was more than just a dorm, it was almost like a small house, with a kitchen, two bedrooms, living room and bathroom. This was a special wing of the dorm area where the married couples lived. I had lived here myself for the first ten years of my life until officially enrolled in Garden. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Just a minute!"

A few seconds later, the door was opened and my mother stood on the other side. She was obviously surprised to see me. "Kaisa! I didn't expect to see you. Why did you knock?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Respect of your privacy I guess." I looked past her into the living area. "Is Dad here?"

"No, why? Do you need to talk to him?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

She nodded. I could tell she knew I had something kind of important to talk to her about. She stepped aside and I walked into the room. I sat down heavily on the couch and after closing the door, she joined me.

"Is something wrong, Kaisa?"

"No," I assured, "Nothing's wrong, I just have a lot on my mind and I really need to talk to someone about it."

My mom smiled. "I'm honored that you would come to me. Does this have something to do with the new sorceress?"

"Strangely enough, no," I told her, "I'm actually dealing with that pretty well, considering." I paused. "What I want to talk about is a little more personal."

My mom leaned forward slightly, her entire attention focused on me. "All right."

I took a deep breath, trying to figure out where to start. "Well, I guess first things first, I think Kayla and Tal are seeing each other secretly."

"What makes you think that?"

"They've been acting weird lately," I explained, "you know, like they're hiding something. At first, I teasingly asked if they were together but the way they denied it made me think that they were. Now they just keep telling me their not but I know they've been spending time together alone and last night when Tal got hurt, Kayla stayed by his side the entire time. I know they like each other but they won't admit it to me and I can't help but feel a little betrayed."

"Sweetheart," my mom started and put her arm around me, "I know you feel like you're being left out, but remember, they are your best friends and just because they've developed feelings for each other doesn't mean that they're going to forget about you."

"I know, it just sucks. Why do things have to change? Everything was great and now I feel like my life is being turned upside down."

"That's just part of growing up," she told me, "things change, but the three of you will always be friends."

"I know." I grew silent for a minute.

"That's not the only thing that's bothering you, is it?"

"No," I admitted, "there's something else..." I trailed off and she kept quiet, waiting for me to continue. I sighed. "Well, there's this guy..."

My mother smiled knowingly. "Go on."

"And well, I've known him for a long time and never gave him a second thought but now I can't seem to stop thinking about him."

"Vaughn Kinneas is quite a looker."

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. "How did you know?"

She scoffed. "I'm not stupid Kaisa."

I sighed loudly and laid down in my mother's lap. "I don't know what's wrong with me, Mom. I mean, Hyne, it's Vaughn!"

"Nothing's wrong with you," she chuckled as she stroked my hair like she used to do when I was little, "That's another part of growing up. One day, he's just plain old Vaughn and the next, he's something more."

"Ever since he caught me when I flew off the BGH251F2, I've been thinking about him more and more," I informed, "and it seems like every time I leave my dorm, I'm running into him. The weird thing is, it's not just in the cafeteria. Right after the SeeD exam I ran into him in the infirmary, when we stopped the Garden for the night between Trabia and Galbadia, I went for a walk on the beach and he showed up. Then he saved me in the Training Center after I got attacked by two T-Rexaurs and he was the one who tackled me out of the way when Raven tried to fry me and Tal, then he cleaned the cuts on my face for me. He also helped me hold off Tristen last night when we fought him and Raven. And then, just now, I ran into him in the main hall." I paused, remembering the words he had said to me. "And he's said that I'm pretty on several different occasions. I know I shouldn't read too much into what he says because of the 'Kinneas Charm' and all, but I just can't help it. I really want him to like me." I looked up at my mom. "Am I completely insane?"

"No, you're just growing up. At some time in her life, every girl feels this way about a boy."

"Did you feel this way about Dad?"

"When I didn't want to choke the life out of him," she laughed.

I smiled slightly. "What should I do?"

"My advice would be to tell him how you feel," she started. She obviously saw the fear in my eyes at the very thought because she continued quickly. "But I'm sure that's out of the question, so I would suggest you just wait and see what happens. Now I know that must seem like the most torturous thing in the world to do but it's for the best. If he likes you too, he'll let you know."

"How?"

"Considering it's Vaughn, he'll probably come right up to you and tell you," my mom stated, "although, Selphie told me that he's hesitant to admit his feelings to girls that he really likes. When it's just casual flirting, he's very confident but when feelings come into play, he gets nervous."

My heart sank. "But he has been flirting with me."

"Yes," my mother admitted, "but think about it, is he flirting with you like he does other girls?"

I thought about it for a second. I'd seen Vaughn, Luke and Cale flirt with countless girls in my life and now that I thought about it, Vaughn hadn't launched a full-blown attack on me. Usually when he was trying to win over a girl, there were countless bouquets of flowers and stuffed animals involved, not to mention so many cliched romance movie moves that it was almost disgusting to watch. While he had been flirting with me a little bit, it was nothing compared to what I'd seen him do.

"No, not really."

"There you go then."

I sat back up. "I still don't know what is going on with me, but I feel a lot better. Thanks Mom."

"No problem."

I stood up and she walked me to the door. Before I left, I turned back to her. "Could you do me a huge favor?" She nodded. "Don't tell Dad about this okay? I don't want him to over react."

"It's between you and me," she promised.

"Thanks. Bye Mom."

I left the suite feeling better than I had in a while. It felt good to discuss my feeling with someone, especially since it meant I got to spend time with my mom. Lately it seemed like the only time we talked was when we were fighting or working.  
After the talk with my mom, I went back to my dorm and caught up on some reading before dinner. As promised, Kayla and Tal showed up to get me for dinner. After stepping out into the hall with them, I gave them both a big hug. They both looked at me strangely.

"What was that for?" Tal asked.

I shrugged. "Nothing. Just because you guys are my two bestest best friends."

The strange looks didn't leave their faces but they didn't pursue the matter further and the three of us went to the cafeteria. When we entered, I found myself scanning the room for something or someone. Of course, that someone was Vaughn and I spotted him with my brother and Cale at a table against the far wall. I looked away before someone caught me staring and got in line with Kayla and Tal to get our food. After we got our trays, we sat down at a table away from our brothers and ate while talking about the mission tomorrow. It was, after all, our first real SeeD mission and we were excited, if not a little leery. Just having to parachute out of the Ragnarok was enough to make us edgy, never mind the rest of the mission.

After dinner, the three of us walked back to our rooms and then said our goodbyes. I went into my dorm and changed into my pjs. I made sure my battle gear was ready for tomorrow then spent about an hour sharpening my sais and checking on my magic, items and junctions. I wanted to make sure I had everything ready before we left for Timber. I knew I had all day tomorrow but I wanted to be prepared just in case we had to leave earlier for some reason. By the time all of my preparations were complete, it was nearing 2200 hours and I decided to get some sleep. I crawled into bed and fell asleep shortly after.


	12. The Hunt For The Odine Bangles

**Chapter 12: The Hunt for the Odine Bangles**

The next morning, I woke up kind of late. It was actually around 1030 hours, which meant that I had completely missed breakfast. After showering and getting dressed for the day, I called Kayla's room to see if she was there. Of course, she wasn't and I had no idea where to find her and Tal, who I assumed were together. I decided that the best thing to do was to look for them. I mean, the Garden is not that big so there's only so many places they could be. After putting on my shoes and strapping on my sais, I left my room and went down the dorm hallway to the main hallway. I wasn't surprised to see that people were milling about everywhere. We had been mobile for a while now and everyone was getting restless. I was betting that the TC would be packed so I didn't think that Kayla and Tal would be there. My thought was that they were somewhere spending some "alone time" but I didn't care. I was bored and I needed company.

After checking the parking lot and Ragnarok hangar, which were both empty, and passing the Training Center, I entered the Library. Kit Dincht was working the check out desk in her mother's absence.

"Hey Kit."

"Hi Kaisa. What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if you'd seen Kayla or Tal."

"No," she answered, "not today. Sorry."

"That's okay," I assured, "so, how's your mom doing?"

Kit frowned. "Dr. Kadowaki said that her vital signs seem stronger but she still hasn't's woken up yet."

"Don't worry," I comforted, "She'll get better."

Kit smiled slightly. "Yeah."

"Well, I gotta go find Kayla and Tal, I'll see you later Kit."

"Bye."

I left the library and passed by the front gate and the infirmary. I couldn't imagine why either of them would be there, so I kept going. I was approaching the Quad when I spotted my brother, Vaughn and Cale coming towards me. My first instinct was to duck behind a pillar or something and hide but I knew that Luke had seen me by the smirk on his face. I sighed and stopped in front of them.

"What's this? No Kayla and Tal? Did you guys have a fight?"

I glared at my brother. "As a matter of fact, I'm looking for them. I'd ask if you'd seen them, but you probably wouldn't tell me even if you had."

"That hurts me Kai, that you think I'm that mean."

I stared at him coldly. "You are."

"Fine then, I won't tell you where they are."

Behind him, Vaughn scoffed. "You don't know where they are."

"Thank you asshole," Luke sneered, "you just ruined my fun."

"Why do you gotta mess with her?" Vaughn asked.

"Why do you care?" Luke shot back.

Vaughn shrugged. "Just seemed kinda childish."

"Well, since you care so much, why don't you go help her find them?"

"Okay."

Luke looked at him like he was crazy. "Huh?"

"I said okay." He turned to me. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No."

Narrowing his eyes, Luke glared at Vaughn. "What's your angle, Kinneas?"

"What do you mean?"

"You never willingly help anyone unless there's something in it for you. You better not be thinking about putting the moves on my sister, because I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Oh please." It was my turn to scoff. "Why would Vaughn want to 'put the moves' on me?"

From behind them, Cale spoke for the first time. "Why wouldn't he?"

All three of us looked at him, me in surprise and the other two glaring.

"What?" Cale asked, obviously embarrassed by his outburst, "She's hot. Doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to try and go out with her."

"Okay, here's a new rule," Luke started, "the next person who says my sister is hot gets a hole in them. Sound fair?"

Cale mumbled something I couldn't hear and Vaughn said nothing.

"Well, this was an interesting conversation," I said, embarrassed myself, "now I'm off to find Kayla and Tal."

I walked past them and was surprised when Vaughn fell into step beside me. I looked up at him. "I didn't think you were serious about helping me."

"What? You don't want me to come with you?"

Luke shouted after us. "I'm serious Vaughn. You touch her and I'll kill you!"

We ignored him and continued to walk. "I don't care."

"Gee, that was convincing."

"What do you want me to do? Say 'Oh yes Vaughn, please come with me! I want you by my side"  
"That doesn't sound too bad," he grinned, "especially the begging part."

"Well get over it because that's not gonna happen."

"Aw, you got my hopes up."

I didn't reply as we entered the Quad hallway. There was no one in sight so we went farther in. There was no sign of them there so we left and headed for the last place to look, the cafeteria. It was deserted when we got there, no Kayla and Tal in sight. I sighed exasperatedly as we reentered the main hall.

"I've looked everywhere," I told Vaughn, "Where could they be?"

"Did you check Leonhart's room?"

I looked at him in confusion. "Why would they be in Tal's room?"

He raised an eyebrow and looked down at me.

"No!" I insisted, knowing what he was thinking, "They wouldn't...Would they?"

"Your problem is that you don't understand teenage boys," Vaughn started, "They only think about one thing."

"Yeah, but Kayla wouldn't."

"I hope you're right," Vaughn said, "for Leonhart's sake."

"What is it with you big brothers?" I asked him, "You guys go out almost every night sleeping around but you'll kill a guy for just looking at your little sister."

He chuckled. "What makes you think we sleep around?"

"I'm not stupid Vaughn. I've heard the three of you talking."

"You wanna know something?"

"What?"

"Half of the stuff we say are lies and the other half are bullshit."

"So what exactly are you saying?"

He shrugged. "Nothing, I guess."

"Whatever, I'm going back to my room to call Tal's and see if he and Kayla are there."

I started back towards the dorms and was irked when Vaughn followed me. I ignored him and went to my room. Of course, he came in behind me. I walked over to the phone and picked it up as Vaughn flopped down on my bed. I paused with the receiver halfway to my ear.

"What are you doing?"

"Making myself comfortable."

"Do you just 'make yourself comfortable' in every girl's room you go into?"

"Yours is the only girl's room I've ever been in," he replied.

"Right."

"What? You don't believe me?"

"Oh, that's right. You guys prefer hotel rooms."

He smiled but said nothing. I shook my head and dialed Tal's room. The phone rang twice before he answered.

"Hello?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you," I told him, "Is Kayla with you?"

He was silent for a moment. "Yeah, why?"

"What are you guys doing?"

"Nothing!"

"I didn't mean it like that," I insisted, "I just wanted to know what you are doing."

"Nothing," he repeated, "just hanging out."

"Without me."

"We called but no one answered the phone."

"I was asleep."

"Sorry, we didn't mean to leave you out."

"It's okay," I assured, "Let me talk to Kayla, okay?"

"Okay."

I could hear the phone change hands and then Kayla's voice. "Hi."

"Hey, what are you two up to?"

"Nothing."

"Enough with the nothing!" I stated, "You guys are acting so guilty! Why don't you just tell me what's really going on?"

"You tell them Kai," Vaughn called from the bed.

Kayla was silent for a moment. "Was that Vaughn?"

Uh-oh, busted. "No."

"Liar!" Kayla laughed, "Vaughn's in your room, isn't he?"

"Yes," I admitted, "but it's not what you think. I was looking for you guys and he was helping me and he followed me back here."

Over the phone, I could hear Tal's voice. "Did you say that Vaughn's in her room?"

"Yes."

"Go Kaisa!" Tal shouted.

"It's not like that!" I insisted.

"Kaisa likes Vaughn! Kaisa likes Vaughn!"

"I do not like Vaughn!"

"Thanks a lot Kaisa," Vaughn said from my bed, "I'm sitting right here."

"Arg! You guys are driving me crazy!"

"Kaisa likes Vaughn! Kaisa likes Vaughn!" Now both of them were chanting.

"It's okay Kaisa, you can tell me," Vaughn smiled, "I won't tell anyone. Is it true? Do you like Vaughn?"

"Not at the moment," I hissed.

"Hey Kayla," Vaughn yelled, "You better let Kaisa go. We've got some issues to discuss. It seems she doesn't like me. I might have to change her mind."

"Ooo! I better hang up then. Bye Kai!"

The phone went dead in my hand. I placed the receiver back in the cradle and turned to Vaughn. "Get out."

"Aw, you don't mean that."

"Don't make me hurt you."

"Is that a promise?"

"OUT!"

"Okay okay." Vaughn stood up and moved towards the door. "I'll see you later Kai."

"Bye."

Vaughn disappeared out the door and it slid shut after him. Once he was gone, I sank down on my bed with a sigh. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder. I decided to push these thoughts out of my mind and concentrate on the mission that was rapidly approaching. Of course, it was hard to concentrate without my mind slipping back to the thought of Vaughn laying on my bed. The smell of his cologne hung in the air and it was impossible not to think about him. I closed my eyes and pictured him, a huge smile spreading across my face. He was gorgeous and it seemed he got better looking every time I saw him. It was ridiculous, I had been raised with him. Him and Luke had been best friends since they were babies, why now was I just noticing his appeal? And he wasn't making it any easier to put the crush on the back burner with his flirting. I mean, Hyne, he had said he wanted to sleep with me! How was I supposed to ignore that? A little shiver ran through me as I thought about it and I very quickly pushed the thought out of my mind. Those kind of thoughts could be dangerous.

I stood up quickly, hoping the movement would help me focus my thoughts on something else. I paced the room for a few minutes until I finally decided that nothing was going to help. I needed company to occupy my mind but Kayla and Tal were doing "nothing" in his room and they hadn't said they were ready to leave. I finally decided to go through my supplies and magic stock to keep my mind off of things, even though I had done it already last night.

I was just finishing my magic inventory when a knock sounded on my door and Kayla's voice floated through.

"Hey Kai! Is Vaughn done making you like him?"

I rolled my eyes and opened the door. Kayla and Tal stood on the other side, both grinning. Kayla looked passed me. "Oh, is he done already? I'm not surprised."

"Hyne Kayla, I know what you're insinuating and it's not even close to funny," I informed, "I kicked Vaughn out as soon as you hung up."

"Oh, well it's lunch time. You ready?"

I looked down at my watch and saw that it was 1154 hours. "Yeah, I missed breakfast, so I'm starving."

I stepped out into the hallway and the three of us went to the cafeteria for lunch. I forced myself to keep from scanning the room for Vaughn and kept my eyes on Kayla's back as I followed her and Tal to the counter. After getting our food, I followed them to a table and sat down, my eyes now glued to my tray. I finally chanced a glance up and found myself staring straight into the cool blue eyes of Vaughn Kinneas. I felt my eyes widen in surprise and my mouth drop open. I turned away from him quickly and saw that Tal and Kayla had decided, for reasons unknown to me, to sit with our brothers and Cale. They had both seen my reaction and were smiling widely.

"Can we help you?" Luke asked, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Just thought we'd sit with you," Tal replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah," Kayla agreed, "Besides, I wanted to talk to Vaughn about earlier."

I glanced back at Vaughn and saw his eyes widen slightly as he glanced at Luke, then back at his sister. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait until later."

"But I'm really curious," Kayla told him with an evil grin, "I want to know if you convinced Kaisa to like you."

The table went dead silent after that. I was contemplating making a run for it and I think Vaughn had the same idea. Luke finally broke the silence.

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Didn't Vaughn tell you about earlier?" Kayla asked innocently, "You know? When he was in Kaisa's room with her? Alone."

My brother turned on Vaughn like a rabid dog. "You were in her room? I told you not to touch her or I'd kill you. Did you think I was kidding?"

"I didn't touch her," Vaughn insisted, "I swear."

"Then what did you mean when you said you were going to make her like you?" Tal inquired.  
"You're a dead man, Kinneas."

"Calm down," I ordered as Luke started to stand up, "It's not anything like it sounds. Vaughn came with me to help me find Kayla and Tal, I went back to my room to call them, he came with me. It was no big deal."

"Then what the Hell are they talking about 'making you like him'?" Luke demanded.

I sighed. "I called Tal's room and asked what he and Kayla were doing. They got all defensive, then they heard Vaughn in my room. They started teasing me and I told them I don't like Vaughn. He acted like he was upset and told Kayla he was going to have to work on it, then I kicked him out."

"That's all that happened?" Luke prodded.

"Yes."

"He didn't touch you?"

"Hyne, Lucian, he didn't touch me," I assured.

"Don't call me that," Luke insisted, then turned back to Vaughn, who was slumped down about as far as he could get in his seat, "Stay away from her, Kinneas. If I catch you near my sister again, you're gonna be sorry."

"Piss off."

"I'm serious," Luke told him, "I will hurt you."

"Come off it," I scoffed, "Vaughn doesn't like me and I don't like him, so you have nothing to worry about."

Luke looked back and forth from the two of us, then settled back into his chair and turned back to his lunch. The rest of us were silent as we ate, but I kept glancing at Kayla and Tal and saw that they were smiling from ear to ear. There would be payback for this one, swift and terrible. I just had to figure out what I was going to do to them.

After we finished eating, the three of us went to the TC to warm up for our mission. I hadn't said much to them and kept quiet as we splatter Grats. Finally, Kayla called me on it.

"Are you gonna be mad at us forever?"

I turned to her. "What makes you think I'm mad?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you haven't said two words since lunch"  
"I'm just thinking about the mission."

"Whatever," Kayla scoffed, "Really, you don't have to get mad. We were just messing around."

"I'm not mad," I insisted.

"Swear?"

"I swear, I'm not mad."

"Then why are you so quiet?" Tal asked, speaking for the first time.

The real reason I had been so quiet was because my mind had been preoccupied with thoughts of Vaughn. Of course, I wasn't going to tell them that. "Like I said, just thinking about the mission."

They seemed to accept the explanation this time and we continued with our Grat killing. We stayed in the TC until about 1800 hours, at which time we went to the cafeteria to get dinner. After dinner, we went back to our rooms to shower and get ready for the mission. The three of us met outside mine and Kayla's rooms at 1830, then made our way to the hangar where Ragnarok was stored. When we arrived, we were met by my mom, dad, Uncle Irvine and Aunt Selphie. My dad told us that Uncle Raijin and Aunt Fujin were inside the ship going through the pre-flight and checking our gear and that Uncle Squall was waiting for Aunt Rinoa to get ready for the mission. She hadn't had the chance to do so before since she had just been released a few hours ago from the infirmary.

After a few more minutes, we were joined by Uncle Zell, who had just come from the infirmary where he was sitting with Aunt Cammi. Within ten minutes, Aunt Rinoa and Uncle Squall were there, and a few minutes after that, Luke, Cale and Vaughn showed up. I avoided eye contact with Vaughn and I noticed that he stayed as far away from me as possible. I wondered forlornly if what I had said earlier about not liking him had discouraged him or if it was all Luke's doing. Either way, he was avoiding me like the plague and there was nothing I could do about it.

Once everyone was present, we boarded the plane and the engines came to life. Everyone took their seats and waited as the ship taxied out of the hangar and then shot across the open expanse of rapidly darkening sky. Our parents seemed to be quite relaxed with each other and chatted amongst themselves while the rest of us remained mostly silent, trying to concentrate on the task ahead. As I mentally went through my stock of magic for like the fiftieth time, my eyes strayed to where Vaughn sat, across the aisle from me and a few rows up. He was turned around, talking to his dad and when he saw my eyes on him, he winked quickly. A small smile curved my lips and I looked away as he continued his conversation with Uncle Irvine. Next to me, Kayla must've seen the smile because she addressed it.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing," I told her, the smile widening slightly.

She leaned closer. "Are you having dirty thoughts about Vaughn?"

"Hyne Kayla!" I exclaimed, "No, of course not!"

"Good, because that's just gross."

I gave her a dirty look and my eys turned to Vaughn once again. He had turned back around in his seat and was now talking to my brother and Cale. I let my eyes drop and continued with my mental inventory.

After about an hour of flying, the intercom came to life, startling me out of my thoughts.

"We're approaching Timber, ya know," Uncle Raijin said, "We'll circle the area, then open the cargo bay for your jump ya know."

Near the front of the seats, Uncle Squall stood up and turned to the rest of us. "Okay, it's time to get our gear on."

He and Aunt Rinoa headed down the aisle toward the cargo area and everyone else followed. Once there, we all took a parachute and strapped it on. I felt my stomach twist as I thought of jumping out of the plane with nothing more than a piece of cloth to stop me from plummeting to my death. I jumped as Uncle Raijin come over the intercom again.

"We're over the drop site, ya know. Fu's opening the cargo bay door, ya know. You're ready to go anytime you want, ya know."

Uncle Squall pushed a button on the intercom. "Thanks Raijin, we're starting our jump now."

Without so much as another word, he walked to the now open cargo door and threw himself out into space. He disappeared within seconds, leaving room for the next jumper. Everyone crowded around, waiting for their turn. I ended up at the back of the group and was a little uneasy to see that Vaughn was next to me. At the front, my dad jumped from the plane, followed quickly by my mom. Aunt Rinoa was already gone.

"You nervous?" he asked me.

"A little."

"Don't worry about it," he comforted, "it's really no big deal. Even if your chute doesn't open, you can cast Float on yourself so you don't fall too fast."

I grinned slightly in thanks. If my chute didn't open, I doubted that I would be able to concentrate enough to cast any magic. In front of us, the crowd had thinned to only a few people, Tal and Kayla among them. When her turn came, Kayla turned to me and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze and then disappeared out the hatch. Tal smiled and jumped after her. Now only Vaughn and I were left. I looked at him and he smiled.

"Ladies first."

I narrowed my eyes and stepped forward. I was trying to get the nerve to jump when an explosion sounded and the ship lurched hard to the right. I was thrown off balance and crashed into Vaughn, who in turn crashed into the wall. He looked down at me.

"You okay?"

I nodded and then grabbed onto him tighter as another explosion rocked the ship. On the wall next to us, Vaughn pushed the intercom button. "What's going on?"

"We're taking fire, ya know," Uncle Raijin answered, "If you're gonna jump, it's now or never. We already had to veer off course to avoid the missiles, ya know."

"I thought they weren't supposed to be able to see us," I commented.

"Guess they can," Vaughn stated and then walked over to the open cargo bay. "We'd better get outta here."

"Okay." I joined him and after taking a deep breath, threw myself into the air.

Immediately I was pummeled with the wind rushing past my body and threatening to take the breath from my lungs. I wanted to look up and see if Vaughn was following me but I couldn't, all I could do was look down at the ground that seemed to be rapidly coming up to greet me. The parachute I wore was designed to deploy when I reached a certain altitude but I seemed to be getting awfully close to the ground and it still hadn't popped. I was just about to pull the emergency chute when my main chute deployed, stopping my freetail with a jerk hard enough to rattle my bones. I looked up, hoping to catch a glimpse of Vaughn but all I could see was the cloth of my parachute. I looked back down and saw that the trees were close now. After a few seconds, I was past the top of them and falling to the ground. It seemed like I was falling pretty fast and when I hit the ground, my legs buckled underneath me. I fell to the forest floor and was then covered by my parachute. After I finally managed to wrestle my way out of the chute, I took it off and looked around. That's when I realized that I was alone.

I looked around quickly, hoping to catch a glimpse of Vaughn, but he was nowhere to be seen. Fighting panic, I looked up but saw no sign of him or his parachute. Where could he be? Had he jumped too long after me and ended up far away? Uncle Raijin had said we had veered off course, which meant that the others wouldn't be anywhere near where I had landed. If I didn't find Vaughn, I would be stuck all alone in the dark in the forest. I knew that I should keep as quiet as possible to avoid revealing my position but the thought of spending the night alone in the forest scared the Hell out of me. I decided to throw caution to the wind and called out to Vaughn.

"Vaughn!"

I listened and was relieved when I heard an answer from close by.

"Over here!"

I followed his voice and found him about 100 yards from where I had landed. He was just unclipping his parachute when I approached him.

"You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I had kind of a rough landing but it's nothing serious."

He held his cowboy hat in his hand and he frowned as he put it back on. "Well, considering that Raijin said we had to veer off course, I'm guessing that the others aren't anywhere around here. We'd better start looking for them."

I agreed and we started through the forest, heading in the direction of Timber. We had been traveling for a little more than an hour, fighting monsters (from which I obtained a Coral Fragment and Black Hole for my Limit Break), when we finally were engulfed by full on night. The temperature had dropped considerably and I shivered as we walked. Finally, Vaughn stopped and turned to me.

"We might as well stop for the night," he suggested, "We're likely to get lost or run right into a trap if we keep wandering around in the dark. Besides, if they went along with the plan, they're already in Timber and if they didn't, they're probably looking for us. I think we should just stay put until morning."

"Okay."

Vaughn and I gathered a few dead branches from nearby for a fire, then sat down next to it to keep warm. The fire was small because of lack of fuel and the fact that Vaughn didn't want to give away our position to potential enemies. We sat there, each of us shivering and staring into the flames.

"We should get some sleep," he suggested finally. He took his coat off and handed it to me. "Here, you can cover up with this."

"What about you?"

"I'll be okay," he assured.

I seriously doubted that. All he had to protect him from the elements was a thin cotton T-shirt and jeans. "No, you're gonna freeze, take it." I held the coat out to him.

"And so are you."

"At least I have long sleeves."

Vaughn sighed. "Come here."

"Why?"

"Just come here!"

I got up and walked over to where he sat.

"Lay down."

I looked at him strangely and handed him the coat, then did as he said. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest as he laid down next to me and covered us both with the coat. His face was just inches from mine and I was certain he could feel the heat from my red cheeks.

"Goodnight Kaisa."

"Goodnight," I whispered, knowing my voice wouldn't have gone any louder. He closed his eyes and I stared at him, wide awake and thinking that I'd never be able to sleep with him that close to me. After a while, I was proved wrong as my eyelids began to droop and eventually I fell asleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, I was awakened by a voice, though I wasn't sure if it was real or not. I opened my eyes and found myself staring right at Vaughn. His eyes were still closed and he was so close to me I could feel his breath on my face. I smiled slightly and started to move but realized I couldn't. I looked down in confusion and saw that Vaughn's arms were wrapped tightly around me. My stomach cartwheeled crazily and I looked back up at his face. His eyes were opened now and he smiled at me.

"Morning sunshine."

I smiled and was about to say something when a rustling of bushes close by drew our attention. We both sat up, still wrapped in each other's arms, and stared as a familiar voice cut through the air.

"They're right through here."

Before we could even react, Kayla and Tal stepped through the trees, followed by everyone else. They all stopped and stared at us in surprise and it took me a second to realize that Vaughn and I were still holding each other. I let go of him and he did the same, but not fast enough. My dad pushed himself to the front of the crowd, his face red with anger and his eyes filled with murderous rage.

"What the Hell is going on here?"

"Nothing," I insisted and stood up quickly. Behind me, Vaughn did the same.

"The Hell this is nothing," he shouted. He turned his sights on Vaughn. "You're dead, Kinneas." He started to pull his gunblade.

"Daddy, stop it!"

"Seifer!" my mom yelled, "Calm down!"

"Calm down!" my dad screamed, "Calm down! How the Hell am I supposed to calm down when he's out here practically raping my daughter!"

"Seifer!"

"Daddy!" I looked over at Vaughn and saw the anger in his eyes.

"I would never take advantage of a woman," Vaughn spat, "especially Kaisa."

"Daddy, nothing happened," I swore.

A sudden sob rang out and I looked over to see Kayla had burst into tears. I instantly knew why. "Kay," I called and ran to her. Tal was already trying to comfort her and I hugged her as well. As soon as I was there, Tal let go and turned on my dad. I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen.

"You have a lot of nerve accusing Vaughn of raping somebody."

"Tal, no," I begged.

My dad looked at him like he was crazy. "What the Hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Why don't you ask my mom, I bet she knows what I'm talking about."

I saw my dad and Aunt Rinoa exchange worried glances and felt my heart sink. It was true, what Tal had said.

"What are you talking about, Tal?" Uncle Squall asked, "What's going on?"

"He raped Mom!" Tal shouted and pointed at my dad.

Squall turned to Aunt Rinoa, who had a horror-stricken look on her face. Seeing the look on her face, he must've assumed it was true because he turned to my dad, Lionheart flashing blue as he drew it.

"Squall, no!" Aunt Rinoa cried and grabbed onto his arm, "It's not what you think! It was a long time ago."

"So it's true!" my mom asked incredulously.

"No," Aunt Rinoa countered, "It's not like Tal said, we did but he didn't..." She trailed off as tears gathered in her eyes. "I'm so sorry Squall. I wanted to tell you but I was afraid of what you would say..."

"You slept with Rinoa and never told me?" my mom asked my dad. He didn't answer. "You told me that you'd only kissed once. How could you lie to me?"

He still remained silent. I was surprised when Luke and Cale joined the rest of us and faced the adults.

"Gee Dad, it seems like you're just screwing up everyone life, aren't you?"

I stared up at my brother, confused.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I suggest you keep your mouth shut," my dad growled.

"What? You don't want everyone to know about what you did while you were 'possessed' by Ultimecia?"

I suddenly realized that my brother had had a dream too, one about our dad and it didn't sound good. "Luke, don't."

"No, everyone deserves to hear this," Luke told me, "he's got them all convinced that he's such a good guy. Wait 'til you hear this." He turned to the group. "During the sorceress wars, Dad killed an entire family in Winhill, parents, kids, even a little baby."

I turned to my dad and saw the pain in his eyes and I knew it was true. I choked back a sob and held on to Kayla, who was still crying. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Vaughn looking down at me. He squeezed my shoulder and turned back to the group as well.

"Don't feel so bad Luke," he started, "you're not the only one who has a screwed up dad. Mine sat by and let an innocent girl get beaten and raped by his friends."

Behind Uncle Irvine, who was staring stunned at his son, Aunt Selphie burst into tears. This caused Kayla to cry harder and I felt her tears soaking into my shirt. My own tears were running down my face and dripping into her hair.

Next to Luke, Cale spoke too. "That's nothing. My dad got drunk one night and hit my mom."

Everyone's eyes turned to Zell, surprised that he would do such a thing. At this point, no one was questioning the truth of what was being said.

"I don't understand," my mom finally said, "How do you all know these things?"

"I had a dream about it the other day," Luke answered.

"So did I," Vaughn agreed.

"Me too," Cale added.

Me and Tal nodded in agreement.

"Kaisa, what did you see?" my mom asked.

I took a deep breath. "I saw Dad stab you in Lunatic Pandora."

Her eyes went wide. "That's why you asked me about the scar."

I nodded solemnly.

"And what about Kayla?"

I shook my head. She nodded and I looked at Aunt Selphie. She understood my gesture and went to the petite brunette, who was still crying while Uncle Irvine tried to comfort her. I heard my mom whisper something to her and she cried harder. My mom hugged her and she turned to cry into her peach battle outfit. It was strange to see an almost mirror image of myself and Kayla standing a few feet in front of us.

Suddenly, Uncle Squall spoke. "We need to continue with our mission. If we don't get those Odine Bangles back before tonight, Raven and Tristen will wake up and go on a rampage." He paused and looked around the crowd. "If anyone here thinks that they aren't up for the mission, then say so now and you can stay here." No one spoke. "All right, we're going to break up into three groups. The Infiltration Team will consist of myself, Rinoa, Cale and Zell. Decoy Team 1 will be Irvine, Selphie, Quistis and Seifer. Decoy Team 2 will be Tal, Kayla, Vaughn, Kaisa and Luke."

"The Hell it will," my dad spat, "You're not putting that pervert with my daughter."

"These orders are non-negotiable," Squall barked, "If you don't like it, you can stay here."

My dad must've known that it was better not to argue because he fell silent but not without glaring at Uncle Squall.

"All right, let's move out," Squall ordered. We fell into line behind him and in silence, followed him to Timber.  
The trek took about two hours and no one said hardly a word as we went. When we reached the outskirts of the city, we stopped and Uncle Squall addressed us again.

"All right," he began, "Decoy Teams 1 and 2 will enter the city in different directions and cause a diversion while Infiltration Team goes straight to the shop for the Odine Bangles. If Infiltration Team does not complete the mission, Decoy Team 1 will take their place and if they fail, Decoy Team 2 will move in. Remember, this mission must succeed, no matter what the cost. Do you understand?" We all nodded. "All right, Decoy Team 1, take right, Decoy Team 2, left. Move out."

The five of us did as we were told and silently crept into the town of Timber. Once we were inside, we stopped and tried to hash out a plan.

"We need to create a diversion," Luke reminded, "any ideas?"

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out and a treebranch above our heads exploded into splinters. We looked deeper into the town and saw a battalion of pistol-toting soldiers heading towards us.

"Never mind," Luke said and after drawing our weapons, we raced farther into the town. We took cover behind the remains of an old fountain as bullets rained down all around us.

"Kayla, Kaisa, you're gonna have to use magic on this one," Luke told us, "I don't think it's a wise idea to get any closer. Everybody ready?"

We nodded.

"All right then, let's get to it."

The five of us popped up from behind the fountain and began to fire on the army of Dollet soldiers. We took out the first wave pretty easily, then ducked back down to regroup as bullets fell all around us. The guys gave us all of their offensive magic and Vaughn and Luke reloaded while me, Tal and Kayla continued the assault on the soldiers. We ducked back down to catch our breath and Vaughn and Luke took over. When they needed to reload, we popped up again. The army was becoming smaller and smaller with every switch off and I began to feel quite confident that we could win. Suddenly, one of the soldiers cast a Firaga spell that hit Tal and sent him sprawling backwards. Kayla screamed his name and fell down next to him, trying to heal the wounds the fire had caused. I turned around to see how he was doing and suddenly my stomach exploded into a ball of pain and I went down next to Tal.

"Kai!" Vaughn shouted and a second later he was next to me.

I put my hand to my stomach and wasn't surprised that when I pulled it away, it was soaked with blood. My vision began to swim and the wound felt like it was on fire.

"They shot her!" I recognized the voice as Kayla's but I didn't turn my head. I felt weak and didn't want to waste the energy. Things were fuzzy and I was starting to feel very sleepy. I barely saw Luke kneel down next to me and then Vaughn stood up. I saw him go to the fountain and raise his gun, then heard several shots. When he lowered the gun again, there was nothing but silence. A second later, he was back by my side.

"Kai, can you hear me?"

I nodded slightly.

"Kaisa, stay with me," he ordered, then I saw him turn to the side. "Kayla, use Full Cure, now!"

"I can't," she wailed, "I don't have any Aura magic!"

"I do," Luke stated and cast Aura on her.

"Now, Kayla!" Vaughn urged. I couldn't figure out why he kept yelling at her.

"I'm trying!" she told him, "I can't concentrate with you yelling at me!"

Then I heard Luke say the strangest thing in the world. "Hurry Kayla! We're losing her!"

"Quit pressuring her!" Tal shouted, "You're making her nervous!"

"Okay," Kayla said, "Here we go."

I felt Vaughn and Luke each grab one of my hands and squeeze tightly. If I had been more there it probably would've hurt. Suddenly, the cure spell hit me and I was wide awake again. I screamed in pain as the bullet worked it's way back out of my stomach. I felt Luke and Vaughn squeeze my hands tighter and I squeezed right back as the pain threatened to make me faint. As quickly as it had started, it was gone and I was left laying on the ground gasping for breath and clutching Vaughn and Luke's hands for dear life.

"Are you okay?" Vaughn asked after I had caught my breath.

"Yeah," I told him and released my hold on him and my brother.

"Kai!" Without warning, Kayla threw herself against me and hugged me tightly. "Are you sure you're okay? You almost died!"

Tal was next to me a second later, shoving my brother out of the way. "Hyne, Kai, that was close."

"What are you guys talking about?" I questioned, "I just got shot. It was no big deal."

I looked around and saw that all of them had been pretty worried.

"Better take a look at yourself, little sis," Luke told me.

I pulled away from Kayla and looked down at where the wound had been. I was surprised to see quite a large scar and that the entire front of my stomach and all down my pants was soaked with blood.

"Holy shit," I murmured in astonishment. I shakily got to my feet and saw that where I had been laying, there was a puddle of blood, my blood. I looked at all of them in shock. "I almost died?"

Kayla hugged me again and this time Tal joined in as well. I hugged them back, trying to grasp the dire situation I had been in. I had almost died. It scared the Hell out of me to realize that and I didn't want to think about it. I looked over Kayla's head and saw that Vaughn was staring at me with a weird look on his face. I smiled slightly at him and he smiled back, but I could tell that there was no humor in the smile.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out somewhere in the town. It was a different sound than the pistols had made, which meant it was either Uncle Irvine's shotgun, my dad's Hyperion or Uncle Squall's Lionheart. It was answered with a barrage of fire that was definitely the pistols the army had. The five of us looked at each other.

"We'd better go help," Luke stated. We agreed and hurried in the direction of the assault.

It took us a few minutes to reach the assaulted party and when we arrived we saw that it my my mom and dad, Uncle Irvine and Aunt Selphie. They were trapped behind a burned down building that was rapidly being torn to shreds by the army's fire. We wasted no time in coming to their aid. After we had dispatched the current wave of soldiers and silence had fallen again, they turned to us. My parents eyes went wide when they saw all the blood on my clothes.

"Oh my Hyne Kaisa!" my mother gasped, "Are you okay?"

"What happened baby girl?"

"I took a hit," I told them, "I'm okay though. Kayla healed me."

My mom hugged me tightly. "Thank Hyne you're all right."

"What about you guys?" Aunt Selphie asked.

"We're fine," Kayla assured. I looked at them and for the first time saw that all of them had my blood on them. The front of Kayla's dress was covered with it and the guys white shirts were smeared with the crimson fluid.

"So, where's the Infiltration Team?" Luke inquired.  
"They entered not too long ago, heading for the shop that sells the Odine Bangles," my mom informed.

"Should we go help them?" Vaughn asked.

"No," my mom shook her head, "we need to stay here and draw the forces to us. They have to get those Bangles."

"I think we pretty much took care of their army," Luke commented, "We took down a troop about the same size as this one. They couldn't have too many more here."

"Still, we need to stay here," my mom insisted, "just in case."

The rest of us complied and sat down to wait. Tal and Kayla sat next to me and we began to talk as we waited.

"So Kay, how did you find me and Vaughn this morning?"

"Blayze led me to you," she replied proudly, "she finally talks to me and because of her link with Ember, she knew where you were."

"Cool," I said.

"So," Kayla started after lowering her voice, "what really happened between you and Vaughn out in the forest?"

I looked up quickly to see if my parents were listening. They were both standing watch for the other team a few feet away. I turned back to her and Tal. "Nothing. The only reason we were...like we were was because we had to share his coat as a blanket last night and sometime while we were sleeping we kind of got tangled up in each other's arms."

"Aw! That would be so romantic if it wasn't my brother we were talking about."

I rolled my eyes at her and was about to make a comment when a shout caught our attention. We sprang to our feet and saw Aunt Rinoa, Uncle Squall, Cale and Uncle Zell running towards us. Behind them was a whole lot of soldiers hot on their heels. Uncle Squall would occasionally turn to fire at the soldiers or Aunt Rinoa would cast a spell or send her Blaster Edge at them but none of them stopped. As they got closer, it seemed like more and more soldiers joined the ones already following them.

"Retreat!" Uncle Squall shouted when he spotted us. "Go!"

My dad, Uncle Irvine, Vaughn, Luke and Tal all began to give the other team cover fire while me, Kayla, my mom and Aunt Selphie turned and headed back towards the forest outside of the city. As we ran, my mom spoke into a communicator located on her wrist.  
"Raijin, Fujin, do you read me?"

The device crackled. "We're here, ya know."

"We're on our way out," my mom told him, "get to the rendezvous point. I'll call you when we get closer."

"Roger Quisty."

I looked behind me and saw that the others were following us but were a ways back. The army was still close behind them.

"Mom," I called as we ran, "How are we supposed to board the Ragnarok with the army so close?"

"Hopefully we'll lose them in the forest," she answered.

"And if we don't?"

She smiled grimly. "Then things are going to get interesting."

We ran for what seemed like forever before my mom finally called Uncle Raijin back. "We're almost there, hover at five hundred."

"Roger."

We ran for another five minutes and I felt like my legs were going to fall off. I chanced a glance behind me and saw that the army had thinned a bit but the bulk of them were still coming. I looked over at my mom and saw that she knew they were back there too. Suddenly, I could see the edge of the forest in front of us.

"Now Raijin!"

Ahead of us, I could hear the engines of the Ragnarok as it lowered to the ground. We finally burst from the trees just as the giant red ship was coming to rest on the ground.

"Hurry!" my mom shouted, "we've only got a limited amount of time before the Dollet Army radios back to HQ that we've landed the ship!"

As soon as we were under the ship, we all turned and began firing spells at the army, giving the others some cover. Just as they were approaching us, we heard the huge wing guns begin to spin and bullets began to tear into the Dollet army.

"Hurry!" my mom repeated and the thirteen of us ran back to the cargo ramp. We were running up it when we heard the unmistakable whine of a large missile approaching.  
"Incoming!" my dad yelled and a second later, the ground a few hundred feet behind the ship exploded, sending dirt and rocks in every direction. I ran up the ramp and into the cargo hold. Uncle Squall was already there, ordering Uncle Raijin to take off. I looked back and saw that the ramp was already rising, as was the ship.

"Get to your seats!" my mom ordered, "Strap in!"

We obeyed and hurried to the passenger area. I sat down in the first seat I came to and wasted no time in hooking my seatbelt. Tal and Kayla sat across the aisle from me and Vaughn took the seat next to me. Luke and Cale sat in front of us. Our parents were still moving up the aisle when another explosion sounded, this one close enough to rock the ship and send them stumbling.

"Get us the Hell out of here Raijin!" my dad shouted, though he knew Uncle Raijin couldn't hear him.

Our parents had barely taken their seats when yet another explosion rocked the ship, this one a lot closer.

"They're getting closer," Uncle Zell stated.

No one said anything and I tensed in my seat and grasped the armrests tightly, knowing that the next one wasn't going to miss. I was surprised when I felt Vaughn's hand close over mine. I looked up at him and he offered me a weak smile, then squeezed my hand. I squeezed back and turned away, waiting for the inevitable. Suddenly, the engine sounds changed and we were speeding through the sky, away from Dollet. It took me a few seconds to realize that we had made it. I think it was Aunt Selphie's giggle of relief that finally snapped me out of my semi-trance. I looked around and after seeing everyone was okay, relaxed in my seat. I had forgot I was holding onto Vaughn's hand until he squeezed it again. I quickly released it and with a wink, he stood up and went to sit with Luke and Cale. I smiled slightly and sighed with relief as I sunk down in my seat. We had made it out with the Bangles. Mission accomplished.


	13. Calm Before the Storm

**Chapter 13: Calm Before the Storm**

The ride back to Garden was uneventful. Everyone was in a great mood because the mission had been a success and it almost seemed as if they had forgotten about the terrible things that had been revealed earlier. After landing at Garden, everyone vacated the plane. Our parents decided to hurry to the infirmary and put the Bangles on Tristen and Raven as soon as possible. We had decided before landing that we would head to the cafeteria to get some lunch since none of us had eaten since dinner the night before.

"I'll catch up with you guys," I told them, "I wanna go and change."

"Me too," Kayla agreed.

"I'll save you a spot," Tal promised.  
"Don't you want change?" I asked the guys.

"A little blood doesn't bother me," Luke commented, "I'm starving."

"Okay." In the main hall, the guys left us at the dorm hall and then continued on to the cafeteria. Kayla and I went to our rooms and quickly changed. I put on a pair of jeans and a blue tank top. I also washed most of the blood off of my stomach in my bathroom. Kayla was waiting for me when I finished and we went to the cafeteria together. When we entered, the guys were sitting at a nearby table and waved us over. Tal had already got me and Kayla some food so we sat down and started to eat. It was weird how Luke, Vaughn and Cale were treating us like people now instead of like younger siblings. I mean, a week ago they would've never let us sit with them and now it was like we always did.

On the way back to Garden, my stomach had begun to ache where I had taken the bullet. The ache had continued to grow worse until it was a steady throbbing. Every once in a while it would get worse and I would grimace until it faded again. One time Kayla saw me and asked me what was wrong.

"My stomach," I told her, "it's aching pretty bad."

"Gunshots do that," Luke told me.

I eyed him skeptically. "How do you know?"

"Me and Vaughn used to shoot each other all the time when we were training," he stated.

"Yeah, when they weren't shooting me," Cale grumbled.

"Don't worry," Luke continued, ignoring Cale, "It'll feel better in a few days."

I nodded and flinched as another bad pain shot through me. "I think I'm gonna go lay down for awhile."

"I'm done," Kayla informed, "I'll walk you back."

"Me too," Tal informed.

"We're done too," Luke commented and stood up, "We'll follow you."

We all threw our trash away and headed back to the dorms. Tal, Kayla, Luke and Cale were walking in front of me and Vaughn fell into step next to me. Keeping his eyes on my brother, he leaned down so I could hear him.

"Meet me in my room in ten minutes," he whispered, "I have some ointment that will make your gunshot feel better"  
I looked up at him and nodded just as my brother turned around to face us.

"You gonna be okay kid?"

"Yeah," I assured, not even mad that he had called me kid, "I'll be fine."

"Okay, I'll be in my room if you need me," he informed, "just call."

I stared at him in shock. "Uh, okay."

"See ya later."

The guys went down another hall as me and Kayla approached our rooms.

"I'm gonna take a hot shower and then take a nap," she told me.

"Sounds like a good idea."

"See you later Kai."

"Bye."

I entered my room and shut the door behind me, then immediately looked at my watch. Vaughn told me to meet him in ten minutes. I went to the bed and sat down to wait. After eight minutes, I got up and left my room again. I checked the hall to make sure that Kayla and Tal were nowhere around and then headed to Vaughn's room. When I got there, I stood nervously outside the door, trying to get up the courage to knock. I finally did and he opened it a second later.

"Hey, come on in."

I followed him in and the door slid shut behind me. He told me to have a seat and motioned to his bed. Like before, I perched lightly on the edge as he grabbed a jar off of the night stand. He opened it and then turned back to me.

"Lay back and I'll put some on you."

I stared at him for a second, then laid down as he had said. I saw him scoop some of the medicine out of the jar and then he rubbed it gently on my gunshot wound. Afer he was done, he put the jar back on the night stand.

"Better?"

"Uh huh," I squeaked and sat back up quickly. An awkward silence ensued and I stood up. "I better get going."

I started towards the door but was stopped as his hand closed around my own. I looked up at him in confusion.

"Before you go, I need to ask you something."

Turned back to face him. "Okay."

"This is gonna sound really stupid," he told me, "but...Do you really like me?"

I was momentarily surprised by his question but quickly regained my composure. I smiled. "Of course I like you Vaughn. We're friends, aren't we?"

He frowned. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

He grinned slightly. "You wouldn't tell me even if you did, would you?"

I grinned back and shook my head. "Nope."

"Why not?"

"Hypothetically?"

"Hypothetically."

"Well, hypothetically, if I liked you, which I'm not saying I do or don't, I wouldn't tell you because guys always want what they think they can't have."

"What makes you think I would think I couldn't have you?"

"What makes you think you could?" I shot back.

"Touche," Vaughn said.

"Since we're asking questions, I have one for you," I told him.

"Shoot."

"The other day when I ran into you in the hall and you said that you'd never pass up an opportunity to sleep with me, were you just messing with me or did you mean it?"

"I was just messing with you."

I couldn't conceal the disappointment on my face.  
"Only because I respect you too much to do something like that without feelings being involved. Now if their were feelings..."

"Keep it in your pants cowboy," I teased.

He grinned and then changed the subject. "I was going to take a quick shower and then go to the library. Do you want to join me?"

"In the shower or to the library?"

"Either."

"No to the shower," I told him, "but I'll come to the library with you."

"Okay. I'll be out in a few minutes."

He grabbed some fresh clothes from the closet and then disappeared into the bathroom. I sat back down on the bed. I suddenly realized how tired I was and laid down, telling myself I was just going to rest my eyes for a second.

I woke up some time later to hear someone yelling. I opened my eyes quickly, wondering who was in my room and why they were so mad. When I looked around I realized I wasn't in my room and that the person yelling was my brother. I sat up just in time to see him slam Vaughn into the wall.

"I told you not to mess with her!" Luke screamed.

"I told you, nothing happened," Vaughn stated angrily.

"She's in your bed!"

"She fell asleep while I was in the shower!"

"What was she doing here in the first place?"

Cale, who was standing nearby, interrupted. "Come on guys, can't we talk about this like adults?"

"Stay the Hell out of this!" Luke ordered.

"That's enough!" I shouted from the bed. None of them had known I was awake and I momentarily drew their attention. I jumped off the bed and stormed over to my brother. "You're acting like an idiot! Even if I had slept with Vaughn, which I didn't, that doesn't give you the right to come in here screaming like a lunatic!"

"Why are you here then?"

"Vaughn gave me some ointment for my gunshot," I told him, "then he asked me if I wanted to come to the library with him. I agreed and while he was in the shower, I fell asleep. That's all."

"So you go behind my back and invite her here for some bullshit reason and then figured you'd crawl into bed with her?" Luke accused Vaughn.

"You're an asshole, you know that?" Vaughn stated, "Even if that had been my plan, which it wasn't, I know she's not stupid enough to fall for something like that."

"I'm not a kid anymore," I told Luke, "I can handle myself."

"Not with him you can't," Luke insisted, "I've seen the way you've been looking at him lately and I know he's seen it to. He'll take advantage of you the first chance he gets."

"That's bullshit!" Vaughn spat. "You know what you're problem is Almasy? You couldn't get a girl to save your life without me setting it up and you're afraid that I'm not gonna hook you up anymore if I'm interested in your sister."

I saw rage flare up in Luke's eyes and before anyone could stop him, he punched Vaughn in the stomach. The cowboy doubled over from the blow, then tackled Luke, sending both of them to the floor. They began to roll around, punching, kicking and cursing at each other.

"Stop it!" I screamed but they ignored me and continued to wrestle around. Cale stood by watching in shock and offering absolutely no help. Finally, seeing no other option, I cast a Thunder spell at them. The relatively weak spell didn't hurt them much, but it did stop them. They both looked at me like I was crazy.

"What the Hell are you doing, Kaisa?" Luke demanded.

"Stopping you before you kill each other!"

They both got to their feet and brushed themselves off.

"Hyne, Kai, don't you think that was a little bit of an overreaction?" Vaughn asked as he picked up his hat from the floor and put it back on his head.

My face turned red with anger and I had to struggle to suppress a scream. "You're both idiots!" I shouted and stormed from the room. I stomped all the way back to my room and nearly plowed Kayla and Tal in the process.

"Whoa!" Tal exclaimed, "What's wrong with you?"

"My brother and her brother are the biggest jerks in the world!" I yelled, pointing to Kayla.

"What happened?" Kayla asked.

I relayed the events of the past hour or so. "And the worst thing is that their supposed to be best friends and they were ready to kill each other over me!"

"I think Vaughn has a crush on you," Kayla teased.

"Oh please!" I scoffed.

"I'll tell you why I think that if you admit that you like Vaughn."

"That's not gonna happen."

"You practically just did," Kayla giggled.

"Hyne Kayla!" I exclaimed, "If I admit it, will you leave me alone about it?"

"Yes."

"Fine," I sighed, "I have a crush on your brother. There, satisfied?"

She jumped in the air and clapped her hands. "I knew it!"

"It was pretty obvious," Tal agreed.

"Whatever."

"Now," Kayla started, "The reason I say that Vaughn likes you to is this: He and Luke have been best friends forever, correct?"

"Yes."

"And what did we always say their motto was?"

"Buddies before bitches."

"Exactly," Kayla agreed, "So here's my point. Luke specifically told Vaughn to stay away from you and he didn't, which implied that he has some feelings for you. Otherwise he would've just backed off."

"Your point is valid," I admitted, "but I still don't think he likes me."

"There he goes," Tal spoke and pointed down the hallway, "Why don't you go ask him?"

I turned around just in time to see Cale, Vaughn and Luke disappear into the corridor to the main hallway. "Quick! We've got to follow them!"

"Why?" Tal asked, "I was just joking about asking him."

"What if Luke takes Vaughn somewhere and beats the crap out of him or something?" I insisted. "We have to follow them and make sure that doesn't happen."

"As funny as it would be to see my brother get his ass kicked," Kayla began, "I think you're right. If they were as mad as you said they were at each other, they could do damage."

The three of us hurried after our brothers and Cale. We spotted them in the main hall heading in the direction of the Training Center. My fears were confirmed when they entered and we lost sight of them.

"I told you!" I stated, "Luke and Vaughn are going to duke it out in the Training Center!"

We picked up our pace and were almost running when we entered the TC. We barely caught sight of the guys as they went deeper into the foliage, probably searching for a spot where no one would be. We followed, trying to be as stealthy as possible so they didn't know we were there. They continued until they were in the deepest part of the TC where hardly anyone went because of the risk of running into T-Rexaurs. When they stopped, we concealed ourselves in the bushes a few feet away to see what was going on.

"Vaughn, this is the last time I'm gonna tell you: stay away from my sister."

"No."

My eyes went wide at Vaughn's reply. He was playing with fire now, we all knew it. Luke stared at him in shock.

"What?"

"I can't," Vaughn told him, the cocky tone fading. "When you told me to, I tried, I really did but I just can't do it. There's just something about her..."

Kayla nudged me and grinned as my face burned with a deep blush.

"Yeah she's just your type Vaughn, female," Luke quipped.

"Screw you Almasy," Vaughn snapped, "You wouldn't understand even if you wanted to."

"Why don't you enlighten me?" Luke suggested.

"I don't know how to explain it," Vaughn admitted, "But I know that with her, it's different."

"Bullshit!" Luke scoffed, "you just want to get into her pants."

"No," Vaughn contradicted. He paused for a second. "Well, yeah, but not like you're thinking. I don't want just a one night stand with her. I want every night with her."

"Uh oh," Cale chuckled, "this sounds pretty serious Luke."

"We've been best friends since we were born," Vaughn reminded, "and you know that I wouldn't fight with you over just 'some girl'. I'm falling hard for her man, I think she might be the one."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I felt Kayla nudge me again and when I turned to her, her eyes were big and shiny.

"That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard," she whispered.

I put my finger to my lips to shush her and then turned back to the guys to see what Luke's reaction would be. He stared at Vaughn for a few seconds. Finally, he sighed in defeat.

"If you're screwing with me Kinneas, I will hurt you."

"I'm not," Vaughn assured.

"And if you ever, ever hurt her, I'll kill you with my bare hands," Luke continued.

"I won't."

"I still don't like the idea of you putting the moves on my sister," Luke clarified, "but I won't stop you."

"So we're cool?" Vaughn asked and held out his hand.

"We're cool," Luke confirmed and they shook hands.

We were just about to sneak off into the bushes when Kayla sneezed loudly. Tal and I looked at her in horror and she smiled apologetically. We were about to run as fast as we could when Cale spoke behind us.

"Hey Vaughn, I hope you wanted Kaisa to hear all those things you just said."

The three of us turned around and saw Cale was pushing aside the bush we were hidden behind. I looked past him and saw that Vaughn was blushing and looked almost terror stricken. Luke, on the other hand, was laughing. The three of us emerged from the brush and walked over to the guys.

"What were you doing? Spying on us?" Luke asked.

"No," I insisted, "We followed you here to make sure you and Vaughn weren't going to kill each other."

"Aw, I'm flattered, you were worried about me," Luke joked.

"Not quite."

"Oh, so you were worried about Vaughn then?"

I looked over at Vaughn and saw that he was looking right at me. When he saw my eyes on him, he turned away. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I was."

"Well, since you heard what he had to say about you, why don't you tell him how you feel," Luke suggested. He turned to Cale, Tal and Kayla. "Come on, let's give the love birds some privacy."

Luke led the others back the way we had come, leaving Vaughn and I alone. I watched them go, then once they had disappeared, turned back to Vaughn. He was staring down at the ground and refused to look up.

"So," I started.

"So," he repeated. We were silent again for a moment until he looked up at me and spoke. "So, you heard everything huh?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think?"

"About what?"

"Hyne Kaisa!" he started, "I just unwittingly poured my heart out to you, the least you could do is give me a hint about how you feel about me."

"Is it true?" I questioned, "what you told Luke."

He stared right in my eyes. "Yes."

The Butterfly Ballet was back in my stomach and they were putting on the performance of a lifetime. "Then why didn't you tell me?"

"I was gonna wait," Vaughn admitted, "until after this sorceress thing was taken care of but I just couldn't stop myself."

"When did you first realize?"

"What? That I liked you?"

I nodded.

"The truth? I've liked you since I was fourteen years old. The first time I saw you pick up your sais and train with them, I was in awe. No other girl had ever made me feel like that. Then, as we got older and we were studying to become SeeDs, I knew neither of us had the time for romance. After awhile, I kind of forgot about you and focused on other things but when I caught you at FH, I remembered why I had been drawn to you in the first place. It's been downhill ever since."

"So, where do we go from here?"

He smiled. "I guess that all depends on you."

"You wanna know the truth, Vaughn? Ever since FH, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. At first, I tried to deny it but the feelings just kept getting stronger and stronger until I couldn't hide from them anymore. I talked to my mom about it..."

"You're mom?" he interrupted, his eyes wide. "Does your dad know?"

I grinned. "Are you afraid of my dad?"

"Hell yes!" Vaughn admitted, "That man scares the shit out of me!"

"Don't worry," I teased, "I'll protect you from big, bad Seifer Almasy."

He grinned back. "You better." The smile left his face and he took a step towards me. I looked up at him, waiting for him to speak. "I was going to wait until after the sorceress was destroyed to ask you to be my girlfriend."

"Do we have to wait?"

He smiled. "No." And without warning, he bent down and kissed me.

The butterflies in my stomach were fluttering around like they were amped on caffeine and I was so shocked I didn't even kiss him back. When he pulled away, I was staring at him, wide-eyed.

He grinned. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I breathed.

"Good," he stated and kissed me again. This time, I recovered quickly and after putting my arms around his neck, kissed him back. When we finally pulled apart, he was still grinning.

"There, that was better. What do you say we head out of here? I'm sure Kayla is just dying to hear what happened."

"Maybe not," I laughed, "I mean, you are her brother."

"You're probably right," Vaughn agreed, "She'll probably be like 'You kissed my brother? That is so disgusting!'"

I laughed at his imitation of Kayla and the two of us left the Training Center. We were surprised to find Luke, Cale, Tal and Kayla waiting for us outside.

"It's about time," Cale commented, "I was beginning to think you were getting down and dirty on the TC floor." Luke smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow!"

"That's not funny."

"So," Kayla prodded, "did everything work out?"

"Judging by the stupid grin on Kaisa's face, I'd say yes," Tal offered.

I playfully smacked him. "Ha ha."

"We were just about to go hunt some T-Rexaurs," Luke stated, "Can you tear yourself away from Kai long enough to join us?"

"I don't know," Vaughn admitted and put his arm around me.

"Go," I insisted and shoved him lightly, "me and Kayla need to talk anyway."

"Okay."

The three guys started for the TC door but stopped as Luke turned around. "You coming Leonhart?"

Tal stared wide-eyed, surprised that he had been invited. "Uh, sure."

"Better hurry," I teased as he hurried after them, "Don't want to be left behind."

Tal made a very rude hand gesture and then disappeared into the TC with the other guys. As soon as they were gone, Kayla pounced on me.

"I want to know what happened," she started, "don't leave anything out."

"All right but let's go back to my room," I told her, "I don't want this to get around. If my dad finds out, Vaughn's dead and probably me too."

"Ooo, this must be good!" Kayla surmised and the two of us went back to the dorms. Once we were in my room and safe from eavesdroppers, I told her everything that had happened after they had left Vaughn and I alone.

"I know I should be disgusted because it's Vaughn, but I'm so happy for you!"

"Well, now that that's out in the open, I want to know about you and Tal."

Kayla stared at me, a guilty look on her face. "I wanted to tell you Kai, I really did and so did he but we were afraid that you would feel left out."

"So you are seeing each other?"

Kayla nodded. "We have been ever since we rescued Raven and Tristen."

"I knew something was up," I told her.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she apologized, "I'm a terrible friend."

"No you're not," I assured, "I didn't tell you that I liked Vaughn"  
"I guess we're even then."

"Sounds good."

We talked continued to talk about how things had changed in such a short time and tried to figure out exactly what was going on in our lives. We didn't know how long we had been talking until there was a knock on my door. I opened it to reveal Vaughn and Tal.

"Ready for dinner?" Vaughn asked.

"It's dinner time already?" Kayla questioned as she walked up behind me.

"Yes," Tal told her.

"So? Shall we go?" Vaughn held out his arm to me.

I grinned and looped my arm with his. "Yes."

The four of us left my room and headed to the cafeteria. When we entered, a few of the nearby girls giggled and waved to Vaughn. He grinned and put his arm around me.

"Sorry ladies," he told them, "I'm taken."

I saw the looks on the girls' faces and I suddenly realized that I was now one of the most envied girls in Garden. The girls were looking at me like they looked at Raven Leonhart...who at that moment was approaching us from across the cafeteria. My hands instinctively went to my sais. I felt Vaughn let go of me and he stepped protectively in front of me, his hand on his shotgun. When she got closer, she smiled and I saw that her eyes were the same gray they had been all her life. Around her neck was an Odine Bangle.

"Raven!" Tal shouted when he saw his sister and ran to her. He was met with a warm hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I wanted to thank you for saving Tristen and I," Raven told him and turned to the rest of us. "I wanted to thank all of you for what you did."

"We didn't do anything extraordinary," Vaughn replied with a tip of his hat, "we did what any SeeD would do for another."

"Thank you," Raven said. Suddenly, the smile faded from her face. "I know that it's not much, but I also wanted to apologize for the pain and suffering that Tristen and I put you through."

"Rave, you don't have to apologize," Tal assured, "we know that it wasn't you."

She smiled again, though it wasn't hard to tell that she was upset about the entire thing. "Well, I'd better get going. Tristen and I are dining in my room to avoid any problems. I just came to get silverware." She held up two plastic wrapped sets of eating utensils. "I'll see all of you later."

We said goodbye to Raven and she left the cafeteria. After she was gone, we got our dinner and joined Luke and Cale at their table. We talked about mundane things as we ate. None of us had seen our parents since we returned and we were all hesitant to mention what had happened out in the Timber Forest that morning. I was trying not to think about it but what Luke had seen really bothered me. Had my dad really killed an entire family, children and all? I knew that at the time he was possessed by Ultimecia but I still didn't like the thought of my dad as a brutal murderer. I shivered at the thought. Beside me, Vaughn grabbed my hand.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," I assured, "just a little chill." I didn't want to tell him the real reason for the quiver because I didn't want to bring up the terrible things that were said. I knew that Kayla was really bothered by what she had seen happen to her mom. Out of all of them, I think I had seen the least disturbing thing, which was pretty sad considering what I saw. I decided that in the morning I had to have a talk with my parents and try to get things straightened out.

Obviously not convinced by my explanation, Vaughn leaned down closer to me. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded and smiled up at him. He smiled back and all memories of what I had seen in my dream fled. It was still hard for me to believe that he had said all those things but when I looked into his eyes, it was easy to see that he had meant them. I felt the butterflies in my stomach again as he leaned down and, after pushing his hat back, rested his forehead against mine.  
"Okay."

He kissed the tip of my nose and then backed away, settling his hat back on his head.

"Oh Hyne!" Luke gagged, "Get a room!"

Vaughn grinned. "You gave me permission." He grabbed my hand and acted like he was going to leave.

Luke scowled at him. "Not funny."

After dinner, the six of us went back to the dorms. Cale and Luke headed straight to their rooms but Tal and Vaughn came with me and Kayla. We stopped outside our respective rooms.

"Goodnight Tal," Kayla said.

"Goodnight Kayla." Tal leaned forward and chastely kissed Kayla on the cheek.

"Oh come on Leonhart!" Vaughn scoffed, "What kind of a goodnight kiss is that? Here, take a lesson from a pro."

Without warning, he grabbed me and dipped me low, then kissed me deeply. After a minute, he stood back up straight, pulling me with him. I was breathless and slightly embarrassed, but he was all smiles.

"That's a goodnight kiss."

Tal glared. "Show off."

Kayla entered her room and Tal stomped off towards his, mumbling about Vaughn. Once we were alone, Vaughn spoke again. "Sorry about that but I had to show the kid how it's done."

I scowled at him. "How many other girls have you done that to?"

He grinned. "None, I swear."

"Never mind," I told him, "I don't want to know."

"So, are you gonna invite me in?"

I smirked at him. "No."

"Why not? You did before."

"I keep telling you, the words came out wrong"  
"I think you said exactly what you wanted to," he teased, "you know you want me."

Still smirking, I stepped closer to him and brought my lips to his ear. "I'm not denying that."

The smile slipped from his face. "Hyne Kaisa, you can't say things like that to me."

I stepped back and keyed in my lock code. The door slid open. "Goodnight Vaughn."

"'Night Kai."

I entered my room and waved as the door slid shut. I rekeyed the lock code and went to my closet. I pulled out some clean pajamas and then went into the bathroom to take a shower. The hot water felt good on my gunshot wound and I was finally able to wash all of the blood off of me. After the shower, I dressed in pajamas and climbed into bed. A lot had happened during the day and I guess I had been running on adrenaline since this morning but as soon as I got into bed, my body shut down and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The next morning I was awakened by the ringing of my phone. I looked at my clock, which read 0845, and groaning, picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Morning sunshine."

I groaned again. "What do you want?"

"What do you think?"

"Come on Vaughn, is there a reason you're bugging me this early?"

I could hear the smile in his voice over the phone. "Of course there is, it's been almost twelve hours since I've seen you and I miss you."

"Hyne Vaughn, did you really count the hours?"

"And the minutes and the seconds," he told me, "you wanna know how many?"

"No," I smiled despite myself, "Give me about fifteen minutes and I'll meet you at my room okay?"

"Okay."

I hung up the phone and rolled out of bed, then took a shower and got dressed. It was only ten minutes later, but when I opened my door to leave, Vaughn was already waiting for me. He smiled when I joined him in the hallway.

"Morning sunshine."

"Good morning."

He bent down and kissed me quickly. "You wanna go get some breakfast? Kayla and Tal already went."

"Yeah."

We had just emerged from the dorm hallway when an announcement came over the intercom.

"Attention everyone! Would the following SeeDs please report to the third floor: Lucian Almasy, Cale Dincht, Vaughn Kinneas, Taylor Leonhart, Kaisa Almasy and Kayla Kinneas. I repeat, would the following SeeDs please report to the third floor: Lucian Almasy, Cale Dincht, Vaughn Kinneas, Taylor Leonhart, Kaisa Almasy and Kayla Kinneas. That is all."

The intercom went silent and Vaughn and I looked at each other in confusion.

"What do you think that's about?" he asked.

"No clue."

I shrugged and the two of us made our way to the elevator. We were met there by Luke, Cale, Kayla and Tal.

"What do you think's going on?" Tal inquired as we boarded the elevator.

"No idea," Luke answered. When we were all in, he pushed the 3rd floor button and we all rode up in silence. When the doors opened at our destination, Aunt Rinoa was waiting for us.

"Mom, what's going on?" Tal questioned.

"Let's go to your dad's office," she suggested, "we all want to talk to you about something."

We followed Aunt Rinoa to Uncle Squall's office. When we entered, I was surprised to see that all of our parents were present, except for Aunt Cammi, who still hadn't regained consciousness. We all sat down around the table and waited somewhat impatiently for our parents to speak. My mother was the first.

"We brought you here because we need to talk about the dreams you have all had."

I stiffened in my seat and underneath the table, Vaughn grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Next to me, I could fee Kayla tense as well.

"I thought we talked enough about them in Timber," Luke deadpanned, giving our father a poisonous look.

"No," my mother shook her head, "we were all upset then and didn't get to the bottom of things. As I'm sure you all know by now, the things you saw were in fact memories from the past. What we need to figure out is who sent these memories and why."

"The only person who has the power to send us memories like that is Ellone," Cale spoke truthfully.

"Yes," my mother agreed, "We believe that Ellone has sent these memories but for what reason, we don't know."

"We've decided to go to Esthar to find out for ourselves." It was Uncle Squall who spoke this time. "We have tried to call the President of Esthar, but we received no answer."

We all knew that Uncle Squall's dad was Laguna Loire, the president of Esthar. I could see the look of worry in his eyes. Something was going on in Esthar.

"We are leaving at 1100," Uncle Squall continued, "I expect you all to ready by then. Dismissed."

We stood and saluted, then made our way back to the elevator. None of us said anything until we were on our way down to the first floor.

"What do you think's going on in Esthar?" Tal asked. It was obvious that he was worried about his Grandpa and Aunt Ellone.

"If Ellone really did send those visions, doesn't it mean she's being controlled by the sorceress?" Kayla questioned.

"Probably," Luke confirmed.

"Which means that she could be in Esthar," I added.

"We'd better be prepared for anything," Cale suggested.

We agreed. When the elevator came to a stop on the first floor, we found Raine, Morgan and Gavin waiting for us.

"What's going on?" Raine asked, "Why were you all called to the third floor?"

"SeeD business," Tal told her.

Raine gave him a dirty look.

"We're going to Esthar," Kayla told her.

"Why?" This time it was Morgan who spoke.

"No one in Esthar is responding to Garden's calls," Kayla explained, "We're going to make sure everything is okay."

"Do you think something's wrong with Grandpa and Aunt Ellone?" Raine asked her brother.

"I'm sure they're fine," Tal comforted.

"When are you leaving?"

"1100 hours."

"You'll let us know how it turns out, right?" Raine inquired.

"Yeah."

"Okay, see you when you get back."

The younger kids left and the six of us went to the cafeteria to get breakfast. After getting our food, we all sat down at the same table. We had barely started eating when Tal spoke.

"Why do you think that no one in Esthar will respond to Garden's calls?"

"Maybe they can't," Cale suggested.

Tal's face fell. "What do you mean, 'can't'?"

"Maybe there is some kind of technological problem," Cale clarified, "or maybe there's some kind of cosmic interference."

"Yeah," Luke grinned, "maybe the signal is getting lost in Uranus."

The five of us stared at him without humor.

"What? Come on, you don't think that was funny?"

"Grow up," I scoffed.

He glared and turned back to his breakfast.

"I'm serious," Tal insisted, "What if the sorceress went into Esthar and killed everyone?"

"Obviously Ellone's still alive or we wouldn't have been getting those visions," Vaughn reminded.

"But that was days ago," Tal stated, "She could be dead now. And what about my Grandpa? Nobody's heard from him in awhile."

"I'm sure they're both fine," I comforted lamely.

Tal fell silent and the rest of us remained that way until we had finished eating. After the meal, we stood up and headed into the main hall of the Garden. Tal spoke first.

"I'm gonna go back to my room and get ready for the trip to Esthar."

Kayla turned to me. "I'm gonna go with him and keep him company."

"Okay."

The two of them headed towards the dorms, leaving me stuck with the three guys. I admit, it wouldn't have been too bad if we could ditch two of them.

"We should all get ready for the mission," Luke said after Kayla and Tal had left, "We've only got an hour and a half before departure time."

The rest of us agreed and we went back to our rooms. Once alone in mine, I changed and then went though my usual routine of inventorying my magic and supplies. I realized I had a lot of offensive magic because I still had all that the guys had given me in Timber. I decided that I would give it back to them before we got to Esthar. After inventorying my supplies, I sharpened my sais and then looked at my bedside clock. It read 1000 hours. I still had an entire hour to kill before we were supposed to leave. After weighing my options, I decided to go and see what Vaughn was doing. I had thought about checking on Tal and Kayla but I didn't want to intrude. I left my room and headed down the hall to his room.

Once outside, I found myself unwilling to knock. Maybe I should've called first. What if he was busy and didn't want to be bothered. I was just about to leave and go back to my room when a voice spoke in my head.

**_Mistress, why are you running?_**

_Ember? Long time no talk. Where have you been hiding?_

_**I was not hiding Mistess. I was under the impression that you didn't want my opinion on things.**_

_Aw come on Ember. I was just joking._

_**Really? So you don't mind my opinions?**_

_No, as long as you're not teasing me._

**_I have nothing to tease you about, Mistress. You really do like Vaughn._**

I grinned. _Yes, I do_.

**_Then why are you running away from his room?_**

_I don't want to bother him._

_**What makes you think you would be bothering him?**_

_I don't know._

_**Knock on the door. I'm sure he will be happy to see you**_.

_Really?_

She didn't answer so I decided to quit being a baby and knock. I did and a few seconds later the door opened. Vaughn smiled when he saw it was me on the other side of the door.

"Hey gorgeous," he greeted, "come to get a quickie before we leave on the mission?"

I scoffed, rolled my eyes and turned to leave. He reached out and grabbed my arm.

"I'm kidding," he insisted, "Come on, don't leave." He stepped aside and I entered his room. "So, what brings you here?"

The door slid shut behind him and I turned to face him. "I got done preparing and I decided to come and see what you were doing."

"Can't stay away from me, can you?"

"Don't flatter yourself," I smirked.

All signs of joking melted from his face and he walked over to me. He cupped my cheek in his hand and kissed me slowly. "I know I can't stay away from you."

I felt myself trembling from the way his touch made me feel so I tried to brush it off. "Don't try to pull that Kinneas Charm crap on me, I won't fall for it."

"Everything I say to you is the truth, no Kinneas Charm about it," he told me in a low voice that made my heart stick in my throat.

"Um, anyway," I started, trying to change the subject, "Are you ready to go?"

"We still have over half an hour until we have to leave," Vaughn reminded.

"I know, I just thought that we could go a little early."

"Why?" Vaughn chuckled, "Am I making you nervous or something?"

I looked at him like he was crazy. "What? Of course not. Why would you make me nervous?"

"I think you're lying."

Luckily for me, before anything else was said, a knock sounded at the door and my brother called through.

"Hey Vaughn, open up!"

"No," Vaughn called, "go away!"

"Why? Is Kaisa in there with you?" This from Cale.

"Open the damn door Vaughn!"

Vaughn sighed and opened the door to my brother and Cale. They entered and Luke's eyes fell on me. He gave me the once over to make sure I was okay I guess, then chose to ignore me. I went and sat on Vaughn's bed as the three of them began to talk about the upcoming mission. After about ten minutes I began to get bored and was wondering if I could sneak out without them knowing when they finally acknowledged that I was still there.

"Ready to head to the hangar?" Vaughn asked.

Uh, yeah, ya think? "Sure."

The four of us walked to the door and headed down the hallway to the main hall. We met up with Kayla and Tal there and the six of us made our way to the Ragnarok hangar. When we got there, we saw that my parents and Tal's parents were already there. Uncle Irvine and Aunt Selphie joined us a few minutes later, as did Uncle Raijin and Aunt Fujin. Uncle Zell was the last to arrive again because he had been sitting with Aunt Cammi, who still showed no signs of awakening. In fact, we were already aboard the Ragnarok and the engines were warming when he boarded, mumbling apologies to Uncle Squall as he took a seat. A few more minutes of preflight checks and we were in the air, on our way to Esthar.


	14. Esthar

**Chapter 14: Esthar**

On the way to Esthar, the six of us second generation SeeDs traded magic and talked about what we might find in Esthar. Although the older guys had been on countless missions since becoming SeeDs, Tal, Kayla and I had only been on two and one hadn't even been sanctioned by the Garden. We were newbies going into what could very well be the next fight for the survival of the planet and we were a little nervous about it. At first I thought we were the only ones until I started paying attention to the others. Vaughn, who was sitting next to me, was unusually quiet, Luke wouldn't shut up the entire way, which was a dead giveaway that he was nervous and Cale sat still the entire time, no shadowboxing or animated movements. Even our parents seemed a little nervous. They spoke in hushed whispers and every once in a while would cast a glance back in our direction.

The flight itself took about an hour and when Uncle Raijin came over the intercom to say that we were approaching the city of Esthar. Uncle Squall practically sprang from his seat and went to the intercom by the elevator door.

"Have you been able to reach anyone in Esthar yet?"

"Sorry Squall, we haven't heard anything yet but we'll keep trying, ya know."

"Okay."

Uncle Squall settled back into his seat and everyone fell silent in anticipation of the landing at the Airstation. Of course, if there was no answer from Esthar, we would have to land on the plains and hike in because there would be no one to guide us down and we were liable to hit one of the buildings. In the front of the area, the intercom came to life again.

"Squall, still no answer but we're gonna circle while dropping, ya know. Maybe if we get closer we can reach them, ya know."

Once again, Uncle Squall went to the intercom. "Okay. Remember to keep an eye out, we don't know what's waiting for us."

He turned to go back to his seat when the intercom crackled yet again. "Uh, Squall, we're seeing some kind of movement over the Presidential Palace, ya know."

"Can you tell what it is?"

"No," Raijin answered, "it almost looks like something's opening up, ya know."

"Don't land until..."

He was cut off as Uncle Raijin shouted, "Hold on!"

A loud explosion sounded and the ship rocked violently. Uncle Squall was thrown to the ground and the rest of us had to fight to stay in our seats. Alarms began to blare overhead and the ship seemed to shimmy under us.

"Raijin, what the Hell is going on?" Uncle Squall had picked himself up and was back to the intercom.

"They're firing at us, ya know!" Uncle Raijin informed urgently, "We've been hit on the port side! The wing's almost gone, along with the engine. I don't know if I can keep her airborn, ya know."

Uncle Squall turned to us. "Everyone, seatbelts, NOW!"

We wasted no time in complying. Once the seatbelts were fastened, Vaughn grabbed my right hand and I in turn grabbed Kayla's. I looked over and saw that she had Tal's as well. She glanced up at me and her face was white as a sheet. I could see the fear in her eyes and I figured it was probably mirrored in my own. Another explosion sounded but this one didn't seem to hit us.

"They're still firing, ya know," Uncle Raijin said, his voice strained, "We're gonna try to land but I don't know how rough it's gonna be. Hold on, ya know."

The ship began to drop altitude rapidly but not dangerously. Suddenly, an explosion erupted on the right side of the ship so close to us that we could see the pieces of the missile falling out the window. We also saw large chunks of red painted debris. The Ragnarok shuddered again and then began to fall at a dangerous speed, pitching and yawing as it went.

"We lost the starboard wing!" Uncle Raijin cried, "We're going down!"

My breath caught in my throat as the ship began to tailspin as it descended. I looked around the seats and saw that everyone was thrown back in their seats by the G force but all of them were holding on to the people around them. Even Uncle Zell was clutching to Aunt Selphie's hand as we plummeted to the ground. I looked past Vaughn out the window and gasped when I saw the tops of trees. We were only seconds from impact. I braced myself as we hit. The shock was tremendous and I was thrown forward in my seat against my seatbelt, which pushed all the air out of me. I tried desperately to hold on to Vaughn and Kayla's hands but the force was too much. My hands came free and the last thing I remember before the blackness took me was the back of the seat in front of me speeding towards my face.

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When I regained consciousness, the first thing I remember was the smell of smoke. I sort of panicked when I smelled it and I tried to open my eyes. They refused at first but finally cooperated. Once they were opened I saw that the seat in front of me had broken away from it's mooring and was laying a few aisles up. I wondered dully if my face had served as the battering ram that dislodged it. It sure felt like it. My head felt like it had been hit with some sort of blunt object. I tried to lift my arms to see if there was any damage to my head but they were extremely heavy and hard to move. It was then that I realized they were hanging down in front of me and that my entire body was still strained against the seatbelt. That meant that the nose of the Ragnarok was in the ground but the back end was sticking up and judging by the angle, it was pretty straight. I tried to move my arms again and this time I managed to pull them back to me. I felt my head and groaned as my fingers found a small cut near my hairline. I moved my hands down and felt the blood all the way down my face. It was partially dry and I wondered how long I had been out.

"Kai?"

I looked to my right and saw that Vaughn had unhooked himself and was now resting on the seatback in front of him. His hat was gone and he had a few small cuts on his face but other than that, he seemed to be okay. I was so preoccupied with my condition that I hadn't even noticed he was awake and moving.

"Vaughn."

He leaned up towards me and bracing me against him, unhooked my seatbelt. I fell into his arms, pushing him back against the seat and the side of the plane. He grunted in surprise or pain, I wasn't sure which, then smiled down at me.

"You okay?"

"I think so," I mumbled, "Just a cut on my head."

"It looks pretty bad," he commented and eyed it closely.

"Vaughn, I think the plane's on fire," I stated, the panic returning as the smoke billowed out of the empty room behind where we were, "We have to get everyone out."

"You're right." He looked past me, "Leonhart, how is she?"

I turned around and saw that Tal leaning on the seat in front of him and was cradling Kayla in his arms. He didn't look hurt at all but Kayla was still unconscious and her face was streaked with blood.

"I don't know," Tal admitted.

"Do you think you can make it down the aisle with her?"

Tal nodded.

"Okay." Vaughn turned back to me. "Go with them. I'm gonna stay here and help get everybody else out."

I looked up farther where our parents had been sitting and saw that both of my parents were awake, as was Uncle Zell, Uncle Irvine and Aunt Rinoa. My dad stood with his feet on the wall, trying to pry open the elevator door. Uncle Squall was on the floor next to him, unconscious, and my mom and Aunt Rinoa were bent next to him, obviously trying to bring him around.

"Seifer, we're gonna need your help getting him out of here," my mom started.

"I'm not leaving without Fu and Rai," he insisted, still working on the door.

Remembering my aunt and uncle made my stomach turn. They had been in the front of the plane. There was almost no way they could still be alive.

"Tal, keep an eye on her," Vaughn told him and motioned to me, "She says she's okay but..."

"All right. Come on Kai."

"Where are we going?" I asked in confusion.

"The farther up we are, the closer to the ground we'll be," Tal explained.

I nodded, still not quite comprehending, but I followed him anyway. As I crawled on the seats to the aisle, I saw that Luke and Cale were with Uncle Irvine, Uncle Zell and Aunt Selphie near where they had been sitting. It looked to me like Aunt Selphie was pinned inbetween two seats and the four of them were trying to pull her free. She was unconscious but her hair was in her face so I couldn't see if she was hurt. I saw that Cale was favoring his right arm and it looked like it may be broken. Luke's shirt was torn at the neck and his face was peppered with cuts and bruises, probably from flying shrapnel.

I made it to the aisle and followed Tal as he climbed down the seats like a rock climber, Kayla slung over his shoulder. I started down, slowly at first but then quicker as the smoke became thicker and I was having trouble breathing. My arms ached as I neared the end of my climb and almost let go when a loud metallic screech rent the air. I looked down and saw that my dad had succeeded in prying open the elevator door. Without waiting for anyone, he jumped in and disappeared. I returned my attention to the task at hand and made it to the floor, or wall, or whatever, where Tal was. He had lain Kayla down and was moving towards the closest window. He brought his foot back and kicked it hard, shattering the glass and making an exit for us. He turned back around and picked up Kayla.

"Come on," he urged and then jumped out the window. My arms and legs were burning from the impact of the crash and the climb down the chairs and I literally crawled to the window. When I looked out, I was surprised to see at least a ten foot drop. Down below, Tal was just picking himself and Kayla up off the ground. I moved into a sitting postion, careful not to get cut on the broken glass, and swung my feet out the window. I took a deep breath and then pushed myself out of the window. There was a short freefall and then I hit the ground hard. I groaned loudly and then rolled over onto my back and stared up at the sky. My view was blocked by trees and what was left of the Ragnarok.

"You okay, Kai?"

I moved my eyes to Tal, who was standing over me with Kayla. I groaned again and sat up slowly. "I hope so."

"We need to get away from the ship in case it explodes," Tal insisted and that got me moving. I jumped up and ignoring the pain in my legs, limped after Tal as he carried Kayla away from the burning plane. We stopped about a hundred yards away and Tal laid Kayla down on the ground, then knelt down next to her. I collapsed a few feet away and made no move to get back up.

"Kai, are you all right?"

"Ugh," I moaned, "my legs are killing me and my head hurts."

"Don't you have any Cure magic?"

I was so mad at myself that I nearly smacked my forehead with my palm. Luckily I didn't because it probably would've caused me to pass out. "Duh! What is wrong with me? I think that crash scrambled my brain. Curaga." I felt the spell encircle me with it's warm healing and the pain in my legs disappeared, as did the cut on my head.

"Better?" Tal chuckled.

"Yeah." I got up and sat down next to him and Kayla. "How is she?"

He shrugged. "She's got a few cuts but other than that, she seems fine. She just hasn't woken up yet."

I nodded and then turned back to the ship, which was smoking quite a bit. "Do you think they'll be okay in there?"

Tal shrugged again. "As long as it doesn't explode."

"I think I should go back and help them." I started to get up.

"No," Tal stopped me, "I need you here in case we get attacked. There are some pretty powerful monsters around."

I looked around and for the first time took in my surroundings. We were near the outskirts of the forest that gave way to a vast desert. I could barely see the city of Esthar on the horizon. I turned back to Tal. "Where are we?"

"Grandidi forest," Tal replied. He had been to Esthar far more times than I had and I trusted him when he said it. I suddenly wished the others would hurry up and join us. It was a known fact that the monsters of the Esthar plains and Grandidi forest were high level monsters that made T-Rexaurs look like a walk in the park. I looked back towards the Ragnarok, or what was left of it, again and still saw no sign of the others. To make matters worse, the smoke was now billowing out in a thick, black cloud that rose into the sky like a beacon. If anyone was looking for us, they couldn't miss that. I turned back to my friends as Tal spoke.

"Hey, I think she's waking up."

Sure enough, Kayla's eyelids fluttered and she groaned, then opened them. She blinked a couple of times and then focused on us. "What happened?"

"We crashed," Tal reminded.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Yes," Tal answered quickly. He obviously didn't want to get into detail about the others until he was sure she was going to be okay.

"What about you?" I prodded, "are you okay?"

"I think so," she answered, "my face hurts."

"You've got a few cuts," I told her, "nothing serious. I can heal them for you if you're sure you're okay."

"Yeah," Kayla agreed and to prove her point, pushed up into a sitting position, "I'm fine. Heal away."

I cast a Curaga on her and the cuts disappeared, leaving behind only the blood. Once she was better, she stood up and me and Tal followed. She looked around, obviously taking in her surroundings, and she gasped when her eyes fell on the smoking Ragnarok three hundred feet away.

"Oh my Hyne!" Kayla exclaimed, "the Ragnarok is on fire! Where is everybody? Are they still on board?"

"Yeah," I answered, "When we left they were trying to get Uncle Raijin and Aunt Fujin out of the cockpit." I specifically left out the fact that her mother was unconscious and pinned in the plane. I didn't want her to go running back there and put herself in danger. Tal was obviously thinking the same thing because he kept quiet as well.

"We should go help them," Kayla insisted, "Maybe they need us."

"No," Tal shook his head vehemently, "they told us to get away from the plane in case it explodes."

I knew that was a lie and so did Tal. Vaughn was the one who told us to leave. I'm not even sure our parents really realized that we had left. Tal knew that Kayla wouldn't disobey and order from our parents so he had made it up and I wasn't about to contradict him.

"What about Vaughn and Luke and Cale?" Kayla prodded, "Why didn't they make them leave?"

"They needed their help," I lied. Tal looked over Kayla's head and smiled in thanks.

"I feel so useless," Kayla whined and plopped down on the ground again. At that moment, an unearthly howl emitted from the trees behind us. We spun around and to our horror, were face to face with a Hexadragon. The three of us froze, Kayla still on the ground and the two of us standing next to her.

"Oh Hyne," Kayla moaned, "What do we do?"

"We can't outrun it," Tal told her, "We have to fight it."

"Can we win?" I asked doubtfully.

"I have no idea," Tal answered truthfully.

The monster roared again and stomped a few of it's six feet threateningly. Then it charged. We were surprised by the aggresiveness of the beast and we jumped out of the way. Actually, Kayla more rolled than jumped because she was still on the ground. She sprang to her feet next to me and Tal and drew her nunchaku.

"We're gonna get eaten, aren't we?" she asked.

Neither of us answered as we pulled our own weapons. Tal turned to us.

"Anybody know what this thing is weak against?"

I tried to concentrate and remember my Monsters course from a few years ago. "Uh...Oh! I got it! It's weak against water!"

"Are you sure?" Kayla inquired, "I don't want to accidently heal this thing."

"Positive," I assured, then remembered something else. "Uh oh. Bad news."

"What?"

"It absorbs fire magic."

"Great," Kayla stated, "We're dead if we can't use Blayze and Ember."

"Not necessarily," Tal smirked, "You guys stand back and let me handle this." He took a step toward the agitated creature that was stamping and pawing the ground but hadn't charged again. "Aquarius!"

Kayla and I scurried out of the way as Tal summoned his GF. The water-man morphed into a bubble and engulfed the Hexadragon. The beast roared in pain and fear as the water kept it from breathing freely. Once the GF was done, the monster fell down on the ground and was momentarily disoriented.

"Hurry," Tal insisted, "You need to keep him busy until I can summon Aquarius again."

"What do you want us to do?" Kayla asked incredulously, "All we have is low level Water spells."

"There're gonna have to do," Tal told her, "Or attack, I don't care, just do it quick!"

I turned from Tal and saw that the Hexadragon had recovered and was attacking.

"Here it comes!" I warned and jumped out of the way. The others did the same. As it charged by, I raked it's side with my sais, drawing bright blue blood. The Hexadragon roared and turned around much quicker than an animal that size should be able to move, it's half a dozen eyes trained on me. I felt the blood drain from my face.

"Oh crap."

The monster roared again and then lumbered towards me. It stopped just short of trampling me and reared up on it's back four legs with the other two waving dangerously above my head. I knew that it was going to stomp me into oblivion if I didn't get out of the way but I couldn't move. All I could do was watch those two huge legs waving above my head.

"Kaisa! Get out of the way!" Tal shouted.

I heard his warning but still couldn't move. It was like I was in a trance or something. I knew I was about to get crushed and could do nothing about it. The legs started to lower and I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable. I heard Tal and Kayla screaming at me but they were behind the Hexadragon and they'd never make it to me in time.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out and I heard the monster wail in pain. I opened my eyes and saw that the Hexadragon had reeled back but was still waving it legs above my head and they were close enough that if it decided to bring them down, I was toast. I started to move but was hit hard from the side. I stumbled and would've gone down if an arm hadn't wrapped around my waist. I grabbed on tight and held on until we stopped moving. When I looked up I wasn't surprised or disappointed to see that it was Vaughn who had saved me.

"Hyne Kai, what were you doing?" he demanded angrily, "You could've been killed!"

"I'm sorry, I just froze I guess..."

He hugged me tightely, catching me off guard. "Don't ever do that again, okay? You scared the Hell out of me."

"Okay." I looked up and saw that he really was scared for me. I heard the monster wail again as a high level thunder spell crackled through the air. I turned to it and saw that everyone from the plane was all right, including Aunt Fujin and Uncle Raijin, and that they were now surrounding the monster and firing spells and attacking mercilessly. It wasn't long before the beast fell to them, leaving behind nothing but an Inferno Fang in the dust. Vaughn and I hadn't joined the fight and were still standing off to the side in each other's arms. I looked up at him and realized that he was wearing his cowboy hat again.

"Where'd you get your hat?"

"I found it on the way out." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white cloth. He began to wipe the blood off of my face. Because of the terror and exertion of fighting the Hexadragon, I had started sweating and the blood was wet again. Most of it wiped off, leaving only a few dry smudges behind. When he was done, he put the cloth away and then bent down and kissed my forehead. I leaned up and tipped my head back so he could get to my lips without taking off his hat when another roar cut through the air, this one human in nature.

"KINNEAS!"

Vaughn's eyes widened in terror and we looked in the direction of the shout. My dad was just a few feet from us with his Hyperion raised above his head. He was obviously going for Vaughn and there was nothing he could do to protect himself. Reacting purely on the instinct that moments before had escaped me, I spun in front of Vaughn and raised my sais, catching Hyperion's blade with my weapons. My dad instantly relented the pressure he was putting on the gunblade and I swept it away. It clattered to the ground a few feet away.

"Daddy, stop it!" I cried, furious. Luckily, before he had time to regroup, my mom was in front of him, her face red with anger.

"What are you doing?!" she screeched, "Have you gone completely insane?"

"Did you see him?!" my dad screamed back, "He kissed her! My baby girl! I'll kill him!" He started forward towards Vaughn, who was still behind me, but my mom stopped him with a crack of her Save the Queen. He froze in his tracks and she leaned closer to him before he had a chance to recover.

"If you don't stop this right now, I will be forced to stop you against your will, do you understand me?"

My mother's voice was low and I don't think that anyone but my dad, me and maybe Vaughn heard her words. I saw the anger seething in my father's eyes but he wasn't about to challenge my mom. He'd fought her enough times to know that she wouldn't hold back like he would if he forced a physical altercation.

"Hyne woman, why are you protecting him?" my dad demanded, "He seduced our daughter!"

"Daddy, this screaming, crazy threatening is getting old," I insisted.

"Stay out of this baby girl," he told me, "This doesn't concern you."

"Yes it does!" I shouted, "this is my life and I'll be damned if I'll let you make my decisions for me!"

My dad stared at me, stunned. I'd never, in my entire life, raised my voice to him and I felt terrible for doing it now, but it was the only way to get him to listen. I saw the hurt in his eyes and I completely broke down.

"Daddy!" I ran to him and hugged him like a little child. I couldn't help it. He was my dad, after all. He hugged me back and I felt tears slipping down my cheeks.

"Baby girl, I'm sorry," he whispered into my hair, "I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought..."

I moved back a little and looked up at him. "Vaughn is my choice Daddy. He didn't seduce me or anything."

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm an Almasy remember? I can handle a Kinneas."

My dad smirked. "Yeah, I know."

"And besides, Luke already told him that he'd kill him if he hurt me."

My father's eyes narrowed. "Luke knew?"

Uh oh. I looked over at Luke and saw that he was watching us. His eyes went wide when he saw our father's glare.

"You and I are going to have a talk when we get back to the Garden," my dad told him.

Luke didn't respond and slunk deeper into the crowd, who I realized at that moment, were all watching us. My father saw it too.

"What are you guys looking at?" he demanded. Everyone mumbled noncommital replies and turned away quickly. My dad looked back down at me. "Are we okay then?"

"Yeah," I told him, "As long as you stop trying to kill Vaughn."

His eyes narrowed but he didn't make a move for him. "Okay."

"We should get moving," Squall suggested after a minute, "If it was the sorceress's people who shot us down, they could be looking for us."

"Where are we going?" my dad asked.

"To Esthar," Squall answered, "If the sorceress is in control there, we need to liberate the city and it's people."

Everyone agreed and we started the long march to Esthar. I was given the Inferno Fang from the Hexadragon for my Limit Break, allowing me to learn Fire Breath. We had barely gotten onto the open desert plains when a huge explosion rocked the silent landscape. We all turned to see that the Ragnarok had finally exploded, sending a plume of smoke and flame at least a thousand feet in the air. We all stared at it for a moment, then continued on.

As we crossed the desert, we were engaged in several battles, sometimes more than one at a time. No one was really upset about it, as we got some valuable items and magic from such high level monsters. I even managed to get my Limit Breaks Aqua Breath, Bad Breath, Lv. ? Death and Barrier. Now my repitoire of Blue Magic was complete except for the most powerful of all Blue magic, Shockwave Pulsar. I didn't expect to be getting that anytime soon since I need 100 curse spikes to refine into a Dark Matter and at the moment I had a total of six.

As we neared Esthar, I noticed that Vaughn hadn't been with me the entire trip. Kayla, Tal, Luke, Cale and I had been in the front of the group for most of the time but Vaughn had been back with our parents. I saw him several times talking to one of the olders SeeDs and then glancing up at the rest of us. I couldn't figure out what he was doing and the only reason I could think of for him to stay away from me was because of my dad's crazy reaction back at the outskirts of the forest. I didn't want to ask him because I was afraid of what he would say so I kept my thoughts to myself and continued on.

When we reached the outskirts of the city, the group of us stopped to discuss the best course of action. Our parents thought it would be best for them to go in and for us to wait outside as back up. Of course, we disagreed and wanted to go in with them. We had a lengthy arguement about it but in the end, our parents won and we were forced to stay outside on the plains while our parents entered the city. It sucked but there was nothing we could do about it. They were our superiors and we had to obey or risk demotion or worse.

Waiting on the plains got very boring very quick and to pass the time we fought some more monsters. I now had twelve Curse Spikes and was hoping to get quite a few more before we left here. During a lull in monsters, we were all sitting around and talking about how bored we were. Vaughn was still staying away from me and was acting really nervous. I couldn't figure out what was going on with him but I could tell that Kayla noticed it too. She kept watching him as he paced back and forth and would look at me questioningly. I would just shake my head and we'd resume our conversation.

After about a twenty minute break, we heard the shuffling of a monster nearby. We all got to our feet and spotted a Malboro not too far away. We started towards it but I was stopped by a hand on my arm. I turned and was surprised to see that it was Vaughn who had stopped me.

"Done avoiding me?" I asked, a little harsher than I had intended.

"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly, "but I was doing something important."

I eyed him suspiciously. "Oh really? What?"

"Getting this." He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to me. It was a large, black sphere with a strange gray aura swirling inside of it. I recognized it immediately.

"Oh my Hyne!" I gasped, "where did you get that?"

"I had my mom refine it for me."

"Where did you get all the Curse Spikes?" I questioned, still not taking the object from him.

"From everybody," he replied, "no one has any use for them. That's why I was talking to everyone. Here take it."

I took the Dark Matter from him and stared at it. It was heavy in my hand and took up my whole palm. I watched the gray swirling in the black and was almost hypnotized. "Thank you."

He smiled. "No problem."

I closed my eyes and concentated on the Dark Matter. I heard the words "Shockwave Pulsar" echoing in my head and then suddenly a bright white light erupted and I cried out in pain. I felt myself start to fall but Vaughn caught me before I hit the ground. The light faded and I opened my eyes. Vaughn was staring down at me with concern.

"Kaisa, what happened?"

"I don't know," I admitted shakily, "I guess the magic was too much for me."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

A second later, Kayla and Tal were by my side.

"Kai, what happened?" Kayla questioned.

"I guess that was a little too much magic for me," I grinned, embarrassed.

"Are you okay?" Tal inquired.

"You guys are like mother hens," I joked, "I'm fine, really."

"I'm sorry," Vaughn apologized, "I didn't know it would be that powerful."

"It's okay," I assured and stood up, "It's my fault. I should've known that I couldn't handle it. Everything's fine now, I just won't use it until my magic gets stronger."

"Hey!" Luke called from across the plain, "Are we gonna fight this thing or what?"

"We're coming," I yelled back, "Don't be so damn impatient." We joined him and Cale and commenced tearing into the Malboro.

After another hour of fighting and being bored, we were once again sitting around outside the city. None of us were saying much as we had been here for nearly two hours and had said all we had to say. We were basically just sitting there with nothing to do. To make matters worse, the temperature had risen considerably and we were sweating and constantly batting away bugs that were drawn by our scent. I had the sleeves of my battle outfit rolled up as far as I could get them and was considering cutting them off all together. I was sitting on the ground with Vaughn, his black coat spread out under us. Kayla was sitting on it as well and Tal was sitting on his green overshirt next to her. Luke and Cale were lounging nearby. Suddenly, Luke sprung to his feet, drawing all our attention.

"This is bullshit!" he exclaimed, "They've been gone for almost two hours and we haven't heard a damn peep out of them. I say we go in."

"They told us to stay," Kayla reminded, "if we disobey a direct order..."

"Screw the orders," Luke interupted, "I'm so frickin' bored I could die. And besides, they might need our help."

"I'm with you man," Cale agreed and began shadowboxing, "I've got the urge to beat up on something besides Malboros and Tri-Faces."

"Wander a little farther from the city," Vaughn smirked, "I'm sure you'll find something more to your liking."

"Whatever," Cale scoffed, "I'm ready for action!"

They continued to argue about what we were going to do but I was ignoring them. My attention was now fixed out in the desert plains. I could see something approaching us from the direction we had come in the first place. At first, I thought it was just another monster but as I continued to watch, I realized that it was different. As it drew closer I saw that it was more than just one thing, three actually, and they were heading straight for us. The heat was causing weird waves in the air and it was hard to tell what they were but I was almost certain they weren't monsters. Wanting to get a better look, I stood up.

"What's up?" Vaughn asked, standing up next to me.

I pointed out across the desert. "What the Hell is that?"

Kayla was now next to me and Tal was next to her. "It's not a monster."

"There's three of them," Tal added.

"It looks like people." Cale and Luke were now staring across the plains as well.

"Why would there be people in the middle of the desert coming towards us?" Luke asked and his hand went to the hilt of his gunblade.

"You don't think it's the soceress, do you?" Kayla inquired fearfully.

"Why would she come personally?" Vaughn wondered, "Wouldn't she send her army or whatever?"

Tal took a step forward and I turned to him. I saw him blink, then squint his eyes. "Son of a bitch."

"What?" Kayla demanded.

"It's Raine." Without waiting for us to acknowledge what he said, he took off towards the approaching figures. Kayla and I glanced at each other and then we hurried after him. As we got closer I could see that it was Raine, along with Gavin and Morgan Dincht. Tal got to them first but Kayla and I were just a few steps behind.

"What the Hell are you doing here?" Tal questioned.

"We came to help you," Raine stated simply.

"Help us?" Tal repeated incredulously, "Are you insane?! This is official SeeD business! You can't be here! How did you even get here?"

"We stowed away on the Ragnarok," Gavin answered.

"You were on it when it crashed?" I asked, astonished.

"We were hidden in the infirmary," Morgan told us, "We got thrown all over the place and didn't wake up until everyone was already gone."

Tal hugged his sister fiercely. "You're lucky to be alive."

"Get off me," Raine insisted and pushed Tal away, "We're not babies, we can handle our own."

At that moment, Vaughn, Luke and Cale joined us.

"Morgan?" Cale said in surprise, "Gavin? What are you guys doing here?"

We filled them in on what the twins and Raine had done.

"How did you get across the plains without becoming monster chow?" Luke questioned.

Gavin blushed. "I took Diablos from my mom's room before we left and junctioned ENC-NONE."

"Not bad," Luke praised, "you guys really thought this out."

"Hey," Raine said suddenly, "Where's Mom and Dad?"

"They went into the city about two hours ago," Tal informed, "they told us to wait out here incase they needed us."

The nine of us made our way back to where we had been sitting before I had spotted the twins and Raine. We had almost gotten to where we were sitting when Raine suddenly stopped.

"Oh no," she moaned, gathering all of our attention.

"What now?" Kayla nearly wailed.

"The sorceress," Raine spoke breathlessly, "she's here."

Almost as one, we drew our weapons and began surveying our surroundings. When we didn't see anything, Tal turned to his sister.

"Where Raine? Where is she?"

"Inside the city," Raine told him, "I can feel her essence. Mom's there too, and Aunt Ellone."

"Are they alive?" Tal prodded.

"Yes," Raine assured, "Mom and Aunt Ellone's forces are close together but the other one is a little ways away. It's weird though..." She trailed off.

"What?" Tal urged.

"They're moving," Raine stated, "all of them, together. I mean, the sorceress isn't with them, but they are all moving the exact same way and it's really slow."

"What do you mean?" Cale questioned.

"I don't know," Raine admitted, "it's weird. Like maybe they are in the same building but not in the same room, but I don't know why they would be moving like that."

"That's it," Luke began, "I'm not staying out here anymore. Come on, we're going in."

We all looked at him. He had been appointed field leader by Uncle Squall and we knew we couldn't disobey his orders unless they went directly against Uncle Squall's, which they did in a way but we hadn't heard from them in so long and the fact that the sorceress was in Esthar changed things. I was the first to speak.

"Let's go."

Luke grinned in appreciation and we followed him into the city. When we entered, the first thing we noticed was the total and utter silence. There was no sound anywhere in the city. Nothing moved, nothing breathed, and nothing attacked us. We went deeper into the city, towards the Presidential Palace and we passed several destroyed structures that had been houses and stores. They had all been burned and then the rubble had been bulldozed, leaving nothing but an empty lot.

"Whatever happened here was very thorough," Luke commented as we headed towards the Palace, which seemed to be the only structure still standing. Even the transporters were gone. The only thing that told they were there at all were the empty stations.

"The sorceress," Tal spat, "It had to have been. Who else would do this?"

We continued on in silence to the Palace. When we reached it, we realized that there was no way we were going to get in. All the doors and windows had been covered with thick sheets of metal. Other than that, the Palace seemed to be intact. Tal and Raine stared up at the home of their grandfather and aunt in silence.

"There's no one here," Raine murmured.

"You're probably right," Luke agreed, "I don't think there is any way in or out."

"Then where are our parents?" Kayla asked.

"They're still moving," Raine told us, "And they're coming this way."

"But from where?" Cale asked, "there isn't anything left here."

"I don't know," Raine said, "but they're coming from that way." She pointed to the left of the Palace. The view in that direction was blocked by a wing of the Palace but as we got quiet, we could hear something, the first sound besides those that we made since we entered the city. It was a strange, almost humming sound and we could tell that it was definately getting closer. Without a word, we pulled our weapons and began moving towards the sound, not knowing what we were going to find when we got around the Palace.

What we did see was nothing any of us would have imagined in our wildest dreams.

"Holy shit," Luke breathed.

A building was moving slowly but steadily towards us. It was huge, although most of it's bulk went up instead of out. It was so tall that it was impossible to see the sky behind it.

"Do you know what that is?" Raine nearly shrieked.

"It's Lunatic Pandora," Morgan murmured, almost trance-like.

"And that's where our parents are?" Kayla questioned worriedly.

"Yes," Raine answered, "that's where they are and the sorceress too. I'm sure of it."

"Then we have to find a way on," Luke stated simply.

"How are we going to do that?" I asked, "I don't see any doors."

"Let's wait until it gets closer," Vaughn suggested, "Maybe we'll get lucky."

The nine of us stood silent as the gigantic structure approached. It was about five minutes before the closest end reached us and then slid by. All of us searched the exterior for some handhold or recess where we could at least get onto the thing, but we saw nothing. Then, to our surprise and fear, the building came to a stop right in front of us and a small doorway materialized, the door sliding open as it did. We all tensed, waiting for the inevitable attack, but it didn't come.

"Wow, that was lucky," Vaughn joked.

Everyone ignored him and turned to Luke for our orders.

"We board," he told us finally, "I don't like this situation anymore than you guys but it's our only choice and we have to get inside. Let's go."

We all tensed, and one by one, entered Lunatic Pandora.


	15. The Final Showdown

**Chapter 15: The Final Showdown**

Once all of us had boarded the structure, the door behind us slid shut and it began to move again. We all stood in the doorway, trying to get our barings and make sure that we weren't going to be ambushed. When we were certain that we were safe for the moment, we all let out a breath.

"Okay," Luke started, "Before we get going I want everyone to check their magic and junctions. This is some serious shit and I don't want anyone dying because they weren't junctioned properly."

We did as we were ordered and then awaited his next order.

"If Raine is right and the sorceress is here, this is going to be the final showdown," Luke began.

"She's here," Raine insisted, "I can feel her."

Luke nodded. "We need to have a plan. First of all, Raine, Gavin and Morgan will in no way be a part of the battle with the sorceress."

"What?!" Raine exclaimed. "That's not fair!"

"Yeah!" Morgan agreed, "we wanna fight too!"

"You guys aren't SeeDs," Luke reminded, "and as field leader, I forbid it. If we can find a safe place for you before the battle begins, you'll stay there until it's done. If not, you'll stay as far back as possible and will leave if you get the chance."

"And what if you don't win?" Raine questioned, "then what are we gonna do? We'll be sitting ducks. We can help you."

"Yeah," Gavin backed, "At least let us heal or something. You might need us."

"They have a point," Cale told him, "we're gonna need all the help we can get."

Luke was silent for a moment. "All right, but you have to stay in the very back and heal only. No offensive magic and definately no attacking. We'll be busy enough trying to keep ourselves alive, we won't have time to be trying to bail you out."

The three cadets nodded, knowing that was the best they were going to get out of him. He continued with his orders.

"When we engage the sorceress, we'll break into battle formation like always. Me, Cale, and Kaisa will be the front line, Tal and Vaughn will cover us. Kayla, you're our strongest healer so I want you inbetween them and the kids."

"No way," Vaughn argued, "I want to be on the front line. Kai can cover."

"She doesn't have a projectile weapon."

"She can use magic," Vaughn insisted, "This is a serious battle. People could die. Do you really want to put her so close to the danger?"

"Damn it Vaughn," Luke muttered, "We're about to go into the battle of a lifetime and you're letting your puppy love get in the way of soldier instinct. Come on man, think!"

Without a word, Vaughn grabbed Luke's shoulders and slammed him into one of the shiny green walls. I was standing the closest to them and I gasped and stumbled backwards.

"You listen to me Almasy," Vaughn hissed, "If you want to let your sister get killed, whatever, but I'm not gonna stand by and let her. And you better think twice before you just assume that what I feel for her is puppy love." He took a step back but Luke remained where he was. I could see the surprise on his face but there was no anger. The two of them stared at each other for a few minutes. Around them, none of us moved.

"Okay," Luke finally agreed, "you can have the front line, Kai can cover. There probably won't be much use for weapons anyway."

Vaughn took a few steps away and Luke walked away from the wall. We all stared at him in shock, surprised that he had given in instead of retaliating violently.

"Now," Luke continued, "where was I?"

"Battle formation," Raine reminded.

"Right," Luke nodded, "Raine, Gavin and Morgan in the far back, Kayla in front of them, Kaisa and Tal in front of her, me, Vaughn and Cale will be the front line. Does everyone have a GF?"

We all nodded.

"Okay, we need to rearrange our magic. I want most of the healing and support magic to the kids and Kayla. Kai gets as much offensive magic as she can hold and we'll split the rest of it among the rest of us."

We all complied and once the magic was redistributed, we were ready to continue into the structure.

"All right, Raine," Luke stepped aside with flourish, "lead the way."

She nodded and took the point position, and the rest of us followed. Raine led us through the halls of Lunatic Pandora without hesitation. She knew where she was going, that was for sure. Luke had told her to lead us to our parents before the sorceress, knowing that their help would be much appreciated. Thanks to Gavin's ENC-NONE we didn't have to deal with any random monsters. We had been wandering the halls for about half an hour when we came to a room with two trap doors in the floor. There was no way around them and we definately couldn't jump over them, they were too long.

"We have to go through here," Raine told us when she saw the trap doors, "they're through here."

"Do you think they'll hold us?" Kayla asked doubtfully.

"We've gotta try," Tal insisted, knowing that Raine wasn't mistaken about where their mother was.

"Stand back," Luke ordered, "I'll try it." He took a deep breath and stepped onto the closest door. It gave no sign of giving way beneath him. He waited a second. "Seems sturdy enough."

"Are you sure?" Morgan inquired.

Luke jumped up and down on the door. "Pretty sure."

Vaughn went next, joining Luke on the door. "Yep, we're good."

Cale and Tal joined them, showing that the door would hold their weight. Once they were satisfied, they continued on. Me, Kayla, Raine, Morgan and Gavin followed. We were about halfway across the door when I heard something click under us. I turned to Kayla, who was next to me but before I could say anything, the door gave way beneath us and we plummeted to the level below, screaming as we went. We all landed in a heap, arms and legs all twisted together. When we managed to untangle ourselves, we made sure we were okay, then stood and looked up at where the door had opened. It had closed by itself and there was no sign that it was even there on this side.

"Great," Kayla mumbled, "Now what are we going to do?"

"Do you think the guys will try to open the trap door to get us?" Morgan asked.

"I don't think they can," I admitted, "there is no way that the five of us weigh more than the four of them. It's almost like the door opened under us on purpose."

"Why would it do that?" Gavin questioned.

"I don't know," I stated, "but I think we should continue on. Once we find our parents, then we can go back and look for the guys, if they don't beat us there."

Everyone agreed and with Raine once again in the lead, we continued on our mission. We were walking for about twenty minutes in silence, looking for signs of the guys, when Raine stopped in her tracks. I was walking close behind her and nearly plowed into her. Kayla, who was behind me, did run into me. She smiled apologetically and then turned to Raine as she spoke.

"We're getting close," Raine informed, "we need to go a little farther down this hall and then turn right and we'll be where they are." She seemed nervous about it and I couldn't figure out why, so I asked. "The sorceress is closer to them now," she stated, "Probably in the room next to them or maybe one over. Either way, she's close."

"We need to be ready for anything," I told the others. Since losing the guys, I had taken over as field leader. No one had really appointed the task to me but I took it anyway. I'm an Almasy and I like to lead, I guess. "The sorceress could be waiting for us." As I said it, I realized that "could" was kidding myself and the others. It was almost certain that she was waiting for us. She had to know we were there. "If everybody's ready, we should keep going." The others nodded and we headed down the hall to a dead end. The only way to go was right, the way Raine had said our parents, and consequently the sorceress, were. Before stepping around the corner, I stopped the procession.

"This is it, guys," I started, "is everybody ready?" I looked around at them and saw fear in all of their eyes. I wasn't exactly thrilled about this situation either, especially since we had to go in without the guys, but I knew we had no choice. As my eyes fell on them, they nodded, one by one. "Okay, this is it. Remember what Luke said, Raine, Gavin and Morgan in the back. Me and Kayla will take the front." They all nodded and I took the front this time. I took a deep breath and led them around the corner.

We found ourselves standing in a rather large room. It was slightly darker than the preceeding hallway and it took us a second to adjust. After a few seconds, I began to make out objects against the walls. They were large, cylinder shaped devices with tubes and pipes coming out the top and leading into the roof. On the front of each cylinder was a clear window that was about four feet long and two feet wide. As I stared, I realized that there was something inside. I strained to see what and my heart felt like it stopped. There were people inside.

"Mom!" Raine cried from behind me and dashed into the room.

"Raine, no!" I called, but she was already by me. She had run to one of the cylinders and had her hands pressed to the window in front of it. Confused, I followed her into the room. When I got closer, I could see the people inside better. They were our parents.

Kayla and the twins had come in behind me and now they were at the cylinders as well, calling to their parents and banging on the windows of the cylinders. I scanned the room quickly and my eyes fell on my mom. I ran to her.

"Mom!" I called and got as close to the glass window as I could. I could see that her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving. I didn't know if she could hear me in there or not but I pounded on the glass. "Mom! MOM! Answer me, please!" I turned back to the others. "Are they alive?"

"Yes," Raine answered, "If you look closely, you can see them breathing."

"Can we get them out?" Morgan asked.

Raine shook her head. "There's a strong magic seal on the pods. We'd never be able to break it."

I turned back to my mom and saw that her chest was rising and falling shallowly as she breathed. I sighed in relief and stepped back into the middle of the room. I scanned the other pods. I saw Aunt Rinoa, Uncle Squall, Uncle Raijin, Aunt Fujin, Uncle Zell, Aunt Selphie, Uncle Irvine... Even Laguna Loire and Ellone were there. I scanned the room again as the panic began to build.

"Hey!" I called, near tears, "where's my dad?"

The others turned to me, then scanned the room.

"He's not here?" Kayla questioned.

"No," I told her and hurried around the room, checking each pod and then double checking it. "He's not here. Where is he?"

"Maybe he got away," Gavin suggested.

"No," I shook my head, "he wouldn't have left without my mom." I looked around at the others, waiting to see if they had any other suggestions. They all stared at me forlornly. It was then that it hit me. "Oh no!" I wailed and fell to my knees, my face in my hands. "She killed him! That bitch killed him!" I began to sob uncontrollably.

"Kai," Kayla murmured and knelt next to me, wrapping me in a warm hug. She offered no other comfort and I was glad, because nothing would've helped. I don't know how long I sat there on the floor, crying my eyes out, but suddenly a rage like none I had ever felt came over me. I was barely able to keep it in control as I furiously wiped the tears from my face and pulling away from Kayla, stood up.

"Come on," I urged, "we need to continue on. We can't help our parents as long as the sorceress is still lurking about." That evil bitch had killed my father and now she would pay with her life.

The others were scared, more scared than they had been. It was obvious that they had been counting on our parents' help in defeating the sorceress. Now that they knew we were on our own, they were near terrified. Me, on the other hand, I was completely focused. There was no fear in me, only rage and a thrist for revenge. Before they could protest, I walked through the door at the other end of the pod room. I didn't care if they followed or not. I would kill the sorceress or die trying, even if I had to do it by myself.

The next room was connected to the pod room by a short hallway. When I approached the next room, my first thought was that it had a black door blocking the entrance but when I got closer, I realized that there was no door and that the black was actually the interior of the room. I crept closer, knowing but not carrying that anyone inside the room would be able to see me. I looked in and saw nothing but blackness so dark that it hurt my eyes to look at it. Suddenly, two spots of color flared to life across the room. They were both blood red in color and about the size of quarters. It took me a second to realize what they were but suddenly, I felt the breath catch in my throat. They were the eyes of the sorceress.

As I watched, her eyes moved across the room. At first I thought they were coming towards me but I realized I was wrong when they stopped after a few feet and turned away from me. A soft glow began to eminate from the sorceress and soon only the corners of the room were left in shadow. I didn't realize that the others had joined me until I heard Kayla gasp next to me. I turned to her but she wasn't looking at me. Her eyes were fixed on the sorceress.

The woman in the room was tall, probably even taller than me, with long, flowing blonde hair down her back. She wore an emerald dress that trailed the ground behind her and on her bare arms we could see the strange markings that evil sorceress's seemed to be fond of. We couldn't see her face because she was facing away from us, towards a still shadowed corner across the room. As we watched, she lifted her hand and beckoned with a long, purple fingernail. The only answer she recieved was a bullet that hit the high level shield she had erected around herself. The shield flashed blue for a moment, then disappeared.

"Come SeeD," she urged in a saccarine voice, "come into the light so that I may see you."

The five of us watched in terror as Vaughn stepped out of the shadows. He raised his shotgun and fired again but with the same result as before.

"Fine," Sorceress Lantana hissed, "if that is the way you want things to be..."

Suddenly, my dream came flooding back to me and I knew what was about to happen. In it, I hadn't been able to save Vaughn but here, I could. "Vaughn!" I screamed and sprinted to him, hitting him as hard as I could and knocking both of us to the ground just seconds before the amethyst nails would've impaled him. We skidded a few inches and then came to a stop.

"Kai?!" Vaughn asked in surprise.

"I did it," I mumbled, "you're okay."

"Yeah," he assured, although he didn't understand what I meant.

"I see," the sorceress hissed. The two of us jumped to our feet quickly. "So that is why you resisted my advances? Foolish human. No matter, I only have a need for one knight anyway."

As she had spoken, we had been joined by the others, including Cale, Tal and Luke and we quickly fell into formation.

"Your intentions are foolish, SeeDs," she told us, "You cannot defeat me. Your parents made the mistake of thinking they could and look at what happened to them."

When she mentioned our parents, I remembered that my dad had been missing from the pod room. The rage boiled in me again and I stepped forward, breaking the battle formation.

"You killed my father!" I accused, "Now, you will pay!"

"Killed your father?" Lantana asked, amused, "But you are mistaken child." She turned back to where I had first seen her eyes, which was still covered in darkness, and once again beckoned. "Come my knight. Show these children our power."

All attention was focused on the spot where the sorceress was looking. We caught sight of movement in the blackness and Lantana's knight stepped frow the shadows. I heard gasps all around and a wail of disbelief that it took me a second to realize had come from me. I felt Vaughn's hand close over mine but it did nothing to comfort me.

Standing before us was my father, Seifer Almasy.

Lantana turned back to us, an evil smirk on her lips. She looked straight at me when she spoke. "You see child? I did not kill your father. It would've been a waste to do so."

"No!" I wailed. I felt the rage leave me and it was replaced with dispair. This couldn't be real, it had to be a trick. My dad wouldn't betray us like this.

"What the Hell?" Luke whispered. I think he was just as shocked as me.

Lantana turned to my brother. "What child? Do you not recognize your own father?" She looked down at my dad, who was now kneeling next to her submissively.

"This isn't real," I spoke suddenly, "it can't be. It's a trick." I could feel hysteria building up in me and I knew that if I didn't get it under control, I would snap.

Lantana laughed. "Oh child! Your denial will not make this situation any less true."

I felt tears prick my eyes. "Why? Why him?"

"He is by far the best fighter of your parents," she replied, "although it was somewhat difficult to convince him to join me, it was well worth it."

"What did you do to him?" Luke demanded, "I know my dad and he wouldn't let you take over his mind without a fight. What the Hell did you do to him?!"

"You are correct child," Sorceress Lantana nodded, "He fought valiantly and in the end, I was forced to show him that you, your mother and your sister had been killed by my forces. When he thought his family was dead, he simply shut down and I was able to infiltrate his mind to make him what you see before you, a mere puppet to do my bidding."

My eyes fell back on my dad and he looked up at us. I gasped when I saw that his eyes were completely blank. The green orbs were devoid of any emotion or thought and were clouded slightly. I felt tears slip down my cheeks as I realized that this wasn't my dad, this was just his shell. My dad was gone. The anger began to seep back into me as I realized that in a sense, my dad was dead and that the only way to bring him back was to kill the sorceress. I pulled away from Vaughn and brandished my weapons threateningly at Lantana.

"You'll pay for this!" I screamed, "For all the pain and suffering you caused to the people of Esthar and FH and for what you did to our parents! You're going down!"

The sorceress scoffed boredly. "I grow tired of this conversation. Knight, take care of this problem."

My dad got to his feet and without a word, rushed towards us with Hyperion drawn. He was aiming for me and I stood there in shock and probably would've been killed if Luke hadn't stepped in front of me, crossing his gunblade with my dad's.

"Get back," Luke ordered, a slight smirk on his face, "He's mine."

I nodded and backed up as my dad broke the stalemate and swung dispassionately at his only son. Luke blocked easily and struck, but was blocked as well. As I watched them, I wandered who was going to win this showdown. My dad had taught Luke everything he knew so there would be no secrets as to the moves. My final conclusion was that Luke had a better chance because he was fighting for something. He had the passion and the need to win, while my dad, or rather, the thing he had become, was nothing more than a hollow marionette, fighting because someone was pulling his strings.

None of us made a move to attack my dad or the sorceress and in turn, Lantana remained silent and still. We were all watching the fight in front of us. It was like seeing my dad fighting himself when he was younger, except there was no fire in my dad's moves and none of the bravado that we were so used to hearing from him. If he had been himself, he would've been yelling insults at Luke, trying to make him lose his concentration and make a mistake. Likewise, if this had been a normal fight, Luke would've been doing the same thing but he knew it would do no good so he conserved his energy.

The two of them fought for almost five minutes without either of them getting even close to hurting the other. They both attacked and parried identically, making the battle look almost like an intricate dance that only the two of them knew the steps to. They were so evenly matched that they could fight until they both passed out from exhastion and never even draw blood. Apparently the sorceress had figured that out as well because without warning, she raised her hand and with a bored look, fired a Flare spell at Luke. He was thrown back against a wall, where he slumped down and didn't move. We were so surprised by her sudden intrusion that we all just stared for a second. We finally focused back on her when she spoke.

"That got boring rather fast," she commented, "perhaps the rest of you will give me some more entertainment. Knight, attack!"

My father did as she said, coming straight at Cale. The oldest Dincht put up his fists in anticipation of the fight but never even got the chance to strike. My dad simply knocked his hands out of the way and sliced him down the chest. Cale cried out in surprise and stumbled a few steps, then fell to the ground, his hands pressed to the wound in a feeble attempt at stopping the bleeding.

"Hurry!" I heard Raine shout, "Heal him! He's gonna die!"

I don't know who she was talking to and I didn't turn to look. My eyes were fixed on Cale, who was still breathing at the moment but wouldn't be for long. Already there was a puddle of blood around him that was rapidly approaching pool status. My dad had done this. Without even a word, he had sliced Cale open like the fish he liked to catch off the Balamb pier. My eyes moved a little and fell on the form of my brother. He wasn't moving and I didn't know whether he was alive or dead. I felt like I was in a trance as I looked back and forth between the two of them. I saw that Raine and the twins were now kneeling next to Cale and trying desperately to heal him before he died. No one had even made an attempt to help my brother. My attention was brought back to the battle when I heard a loud gunshot. I jumped and spun around just in time to see my dad swipe Vaughn's gun away, slicing his arm in the process. Vaughn hissed in pain and put his hand to the wound as blood pumped out of it. It wasn't life threatening like Cale's but it was serious. If he continued to bleed, he would eventually pass out but that wasn't even on the top of my list of concerns. Vaughn was defensless and my dad was pulling Hyperion back for the deathblow.

Without thinking, I skidded in front of Vaughn and threw my Sais up just in time to catch the gunblade on them. My dad was strong, there was no doubt about that, but once again he had no passion in the fight. I managed to keep his blade away from me while I tried to reason with him.

"Daddy!" I cried, my words strained because of the pressure he was exerting on his weapon and therefore, on me, "It's me, Daddy, Kaisa. Can't you see me at all? I know you're in there Dad. We're not dead, none of us. The sorceress lied to you. Please Daddy, you've gotta stop this before someone gets really hurt." Of course, two people already had been really hurt and Vaughn was wounded as well. My dad showed no signs of hearing me and I felt tears begin to slip down my cheeks. "Daddy, please listen to me!"

Suddenly, his eyes flashed something. The color came back to them for a second and for the first time since the sorceress had called to him, I saw a spark of life in the jade depths. It was gone as quickly as it had come, but it gave me some hope. I tried again. "Daddy, you've got to fight her! Show her that no one messes with an Almasy!"

That spark again, and then his eyes cleared completely. The pressure on his gunblade lessened but didn't all together stop. He blinked a few times and then for the first time since we had begun the fight, he really looked at me.

"Kaisa?" he mumbled thickly.

"Daddy!" I cried, although I didn't dare trust him enough to lower my weapons.

"Baby girl," he started. His words were slow and deliberate as if he were having trouble saying them, "You've got to stop her."

"I know Daddy," I assured.

"You've got to stop...me."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Suddenly, I dropped to the ground and rolled between his legs, much like Uncle Squall had done the day we watched them fighting in the Training Center. Not anticipating my move, my dad stumbled a few steps at the sudden loss of opposing pressure and Hyperion sliced forward into the tile floor, giving me the time I needed to spring up behind him.

"I'm sorry," I whispered and then hit him as hard in the back of the head with the hilts of my Sais. Because I was behind him, I didn't know if I had been successful or not until he crumpled to the ground and lay still. I was down next to him a second later, checking to make sure he was okay. I was terrified to see blood soaking into his hair where I had hit him but his breathing and pulse were fine so I wasn't worried too much. I got back to my feet and saw that Kayla was now with Raine and the twins and was casting Full Cure on Cale, who looked like he was just seconds from giving up. He was white as a sheet and had lost a lot of blood. As soon as the spell connected, the color came back to his skin and he sat up, perfectly okay. His brother and sister hugged him tightly, and suprisingly, Raine did too. Kayla stayed long enough to ask him if he was okay, then hurried to where my brother still lay against the wall.

"Impressive SeeDs," the sorceress spoke, gaining all of our attention, "you managed to incapacitate my knight. I should have known better than to use someone so weak when it came to his family. No matter though, I was growing weary of his entertainment anyhow. Now, the real fun begins." She smiled and I felt like my heart had been frozen.

"Battle formation!"

I looked over and saw that Luke was up now and was hurrying back to us. We did as he ordered and as we fell into formation, I saw that Vaughn was still cradling his left arm where my dad had cut him. He had recovered his gun, however, and held it at the ready.

"Kayla!" I called behind me, "Vaughn's arm is hurt."

"Okay."

I heard her call out Curaga and then saw it envelope Vaughn. When it disappated, he flexed his arm and fingers a few times, then focused on the sorceress.

"This will be the battle to end all battles," Lantana narrated, "More impressive than even the battle with Ultimecia because I am more powerful than Ultimecia ever was. My name will go down in history and all who hear it will tremble with fear. I am Lantana, and soon I will rule this world with an iron fist and all humans will be my slaves!"

This chick was certifiably crazy, which made her that much more dangerous and we all knew it. If her boast proved to be true and she was more powerful than Ultimecia, we were in for the fight of a lifetime. Luke was obviously not intimidated by her talk because he was the first to strike.

"Ultima!"

The spell hit the sorceress with hardly any damage at all. The only thing it did was surprise her and I think, piss her off a little. She narrowed her eyes at us.

"After what I said, you still wish to fight me?" she asked in disbelief, "Fine. This place will be your tomb." Once again, she smiled that icy smile. "Maelstrom."

We were hit by the black energy and it zapped us all pretty good. The worst thing was the Curse status, keeping us from using our Limit Breaks. I heard the Dincht's, Raine and Kayla casting Esunas on us and Luke firing more spells. Vaughn shot at Lantana again but only managed to put a chink in her shield. I suddenly wondered if I could get behind her shield and get her with my Sais. It could work, but I'd have to get close enough to her first. I turned to Tal, who was firing his Blaster Edge with little or no effect.

"Tal!" I called, getting his attention. "Distract her! I'm gonna try something!"

He nodded and I saw him step away from the formation and charge up Aquarius. Lantana was focusing more on my brother than anyone else and she didn't see the GF until it was too late. She was engulfed, doing the most damage that anyone had been able to, although it was still minimal. When the bubble burst and she crashed back to the ground, I was standing right there. I rushed behind her shield and slashed her twice before flipping out of the way just as she lunged for me. I made it back to the formation unharmed but left Lantana bleeding on her face and chest. She was really pissed now and the icy smile had disappeared.

"How dare you!" she hissed at me, "how dare you touch me! You will pay! Your death will be especially painful and torturous!" She lifted her hands into the air. "I call upon the warrior power of the great god Odin!"

We watched in surprise as gray smoke began to swirl around her and her outfit changed from the green dress to full on armor. When the smoke disappeared, she was dressed like a warrioress, complete with helmet. She now held a weapon as well, a long, nasty looking staff with a ball on the end, perfect for blunt force trauma.

"Now you will know pain," she promised and swung her staff with deadly intent. I think she was aiming for me but Vaughn and Luke got in the way. Luke stopped her in mid-swing and Vaughn shot at her, striking her in the chestplate. The bullet didn't even make a dent. Thinking that weapons were going to be of no use, I fired a Holy spell at the witch. It was absorbed into her armor before it even hit her and then reflected back at us threefold. Tal, Cale and I took most of the spell and I fell to my knees, gasping for breath. I felt my Limit Break become active and I struggled to my feet. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go offense or defense but in the end, I decided I wanted to hurt the bitch.

"Ray Bomb!"

The spell slammed into Lantana. Of course, the magical part of it was absorbed by her armor and the physical part that hit the armor was nullified. I thought that the spell had been a total waste of time until I saw that part of Lantana's neck and face were scorched. I suddenly realized that magic was going to be useless and physical damage was almost impossible unless you hit her where there was no armor, which wasn't very many places. Her legs were uncovered, as were her arms, a portion of her face and neck. It would take forever to cause enough damage to defeat her but it was the only chance we had.

"Hit her where there's no armor!" I shouted and accessed my Limit Break again. I cast Mighty Guard this time, knowing that the Haste, Protect and Shell would be invaluable if we had to get that close to her to do damage. I also got lucky and Aura came through as well. Now we were ready to do some damage. Luke went first, using Demon Slice on the sorceress. When he was done, Cale was all set up and unleashed Duel on her exposed skin. Tal went next with Boomerang, then Vaughn with Shot and Pulse Ammo. He was so good with the shotgun that he managed to hit her exposed throat and face with every shot. After he was done, it was my turn.

"Gatling Gun!"

While I was in no way a marksman, and couldn't control the bullets even if I was, a fair amount of them hit the sorceress in her exposed areas. I heard Kayla casting Full-Cure on everyone and felt the tingly sensation envelope me. Behind me, I heard Gavin call out Harpoon, his Limit Break, in which he hurled his spear at the sorceress. It stuck in her leg and she wailed in pain, then pulled it out and threw it back at him. Gavin caught it easily and with no harm to himself.  
"Nice shot Dincht," Luke praised, "but no more attacking."

"Okay," Gavin agreed, beaming with pride at the compliment.

The sorceress hissed in anger and attacked, this time with magic. She cast Apocalypse on us, but luckily our Shell spells from my Mighty Guard were working fine and we took only about half the damage the spell normally would've done. Not to say that it didn't hurt. In fact, it ended up knocking out Morgan, but she was brought around quickly by Raine. Our Aura magic had worn off but now we were able to access our Limit Breaks again because of the amount of damage we had taken and we all launched into our special attacks again. I used Homing Laser this time and it did a fair amount of damage. Kayla waited until everyone had performed their Limit Breaks, then she healed us again.

We then began to attack normally, trying to dodge Lantana's staff while simultaneously doing damage. We weren't always quick enough to dodge but with Protect in place, the staff didn't do enough damage to worry us and for the first time since entering Esthar, I had begun to believe that we could win the battle. What happened a few seconds later showed me how wrong I was.

"Foolish SeeDs," Lantana sneered, "You actually believe you can defeat me. Hell's Judgement!"

The spell hit all of us hard, leaving us with barely enough strength to stay conscious. Then, before anyone could act, she swung her club again, knocking out our front line. I saw Vaughn go down in front of me and I felt the terror building in me. One more shot and we could all be done for. Before she could do that, I used Gatling Gun again, giving Kayla the time she needed to use Full Cure. Of course, it didn't work on the guys who were unconscious so it left me and Tal as the front line.

"Cast Aura!" Tal demanded. Raine, who had cast triple on herself at the beginning of the battle, complied, and Tal, Kayla and I began to glow gold. I used Homing Laser again while Tal launched into Boomerang. While we were attacking, Raine had cast Full Life on the guys and Kayla used Wall to restore their Protect and Shell spells.

"That was close," Vaughn stated with a smile and winked at me as he took a shot at Lantana.

"You okay?" I asked, still concerned for his safety.

He tipped his hat at me. "Never better darlin'."

I grinned. "You're such a dork."

He turned back to the fight and I cast Mighty Guard again, renewing anyone's spells who had run out and giving the guys back their Haste status. Lantana tried to cast Hell's Judgement again but this time Kayla was ready for her. She used the last of her Aura to cast Full Cure seconds after the sorceress cast her spell. The end result was that we were all healed as soon as we had been harmed. Seeing that we had figured out how to counter her little trick, Lantana got angry.

"This ends now SeeDs!" she cried. Her armor melted away, turning back into her emerald dress.

I felt the air catch in my throat. Whatever she was about to do was going to be big and she obviously didn't have enough power in her warrior form to do it, which suggested some serious magic was about to transpire. We all froze in our places, waiting to see what she would do.

"You are not the only one's who have Guardian Forces," she told us and raised her arms to the ceiling. "Ragnarok!"

"Oh shit!" Cale breathed and the rest of us felt the same way. We heard a distant rumble that progressively grew louder until the entire room was shaking. Suddenly, the roof was torn off the building and we looked up at the biggest dragon any of us had ever seen. It was red and looked very much like the ship that had born it's name, but it was at least three times the size. There was no way it could fit in the room and a second later we realized it didn't have to. With one gigantic paw, it tore the room apart, leaving only the floor in tact. We could now see outside and it looked as if the sky had been painted with ink. Dark clouds swirled around, making it appear to be night, but it couldn't be. We hadn't been inside Lunatic Pandora for that long. I didn't have anymore time to contemplate the time because at that moment, Ragnarok swooped down and hovered behind the sorceress, allowing her to climb onto him like a child riding a pony. He then ascended above us and hovered menacingly.

"Now your end has come!" Lantana shouted, "Ragnarok, show them the power of the sorceress and her guardian!"

We all stared up at the beast, terrified and without any idea as to what to do. Behind us, Raine was the first to take action and began casting Regen on everyone. It was a good idea, but I doubted it was going to help us much, especially if we were dead. No one else moved to do anything. I glanced at Vaughn and saw that he was looking at me. He offered a weak smile but I didn't return it. I couldn't. This was it. I heard the dragon roar loudly and it grabbed my attention again. Riding near it's head, Lantana rose her arms to the sky once again.

"Hell's Inferno!"

A bright red light began to gather around the mouth of the dragon and grew until his entire head was gone in the glow. We watched in horror as he brought his head back and then with an enraged roar he flung the ball of fire at us. I stared up at it in shock, not knowing what I could do but stand there and wait to get fried. Suddenly, Vaughn grabbed me and threw me to the ground, then landed on top of me. I looked over and saw that Tal had done the same to Kayla. She looked over in my direction and without hesitation, held her hand out to me. I gripped it tightly as I felt the heat from the spell reaching us. A second later, we were engulfed and I could do nothing but close my eyes and scream.

The onslaught seemed to go on forever and I don't know how I stayed conscious but after it was over I was hanging on, although barely. Vaughn was still on top of me, shielding me with his own body and he had paid dearly for it. He was unconscious and had several cuts and bruises were already forming on his face and hands. He was bleeding from several of them. After ascertaining that he was in fact alive, I crawled out from under him and gently lowered his head to the floor. I was surprised when I heard someone call my name.

"Kai."

It was Kayla. She was sitting next to Tal, who looked just as bad or worse than Vaughn.

"Is Tal okay?" I questioned.

"He's alive," Kayla answered, "What about Vaughn?"

I looked down at the unconscious man next to me and had to fight to hold back tears. "The same."

Kayla and I surveyed our surroundings and saw that everyone but the two of us were unconscious. Luke and Cale were back with the Dincht twins and Raine and had obviously tried to shield them the best that they could but it hadn't matter. They were all out. I figured that the only reason Kayla and I had remained awake was because our Fire defense was higher than everyone else's because of Ember and Blayze. Before we could even think of getting back to the battle, the sorceress spoke.

"So two still live," she mused, "no matter, I will take care of that."

**_Hurry Mistress! You must do something or she will kill everyone!_**

"Kayla!" I called. She was still sitting next to Tal in a trance. She looked up slowly. "Heal me and then cast an Aura on me."

"I don't have any Aura magic," Kayla told me apologetically.

"Never mind," I started, "Start healing everyone else. I'll take care of the witch."

I stood up next to Vaughn and Lantana began to laugh.

"Ah, young SeeD, I know you are angry about your boyfriend but soon you will join him."

"He's not dead," I shouted back, "but you are." I closed my eyes and concentrated with all the strength I had left. "Shockwave..."

"Kaisa no!" Kayla screamed, "you aren't strong enough."

I knew I wasn't but there was nothing else I could do. I had to stop her. "PULSAR!"

The spell left my body and I fell to my knees as it engulfed the sorceress and her GF. They howled in pain as spell hit them over and over. When it was finally over, Ragnarok disintegrated into nothing and Lantana fell from the sky and landed hard in front of us. Behind me, I could hear Kayla and Raine, who Kayla had healed first, casting curative magic on the others. In front of me, the sorceress started to get up and then fell back to the ground.

"Curse all SeeDs," she muttered and then she too disintegrated, leaving nothing behind to show us she had even been there in the first place. A second later, Vaughn was pulling me into his arms.

"Hyne Kai, are you okay?"

I smiled weakly but didn't answer. I was completely drained and I knew that I was going to pass out any second.

"Vaughn..." I managed and then the blackness enveloped me.


	16. Epilogue: Garden Party

**Epilogue: Garden Party**

As you might have guessed, casting Shockwave Pulsar didn't kill me. If it had, who would've told this story? I was, however, out for about three days until I regained my strength. When I woke up, Vaughn was at my side and Dr. Kadowaki didn't hesitate to tell me he had been there the entire time. It wasn't hard to tell. He had stubble growing on his chin and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. Even after I woke up, he refused to leave. Dr. Kadowaki had to finally chase him out so she could examine me and I was sad to see him go. He was waiting at the door however and stayed with me until I was released the next day.

After Lantana was destroyed, the magic seals holding our parents were drastically weakened and Raine, after inheriting Lantana's powers, was able to break them and release them. Of course, I heard this second hand from Kayla because I had been unconscious at the time. After releasing our parents, everyone left Esthar and put in a call to B Garden, who came and picked us up, along with Laguna Loire and Ellone who had nowhere to stay at the moment. Then we headed back to Balamb where a huge party was planned (by Aunt Selphie, of course) in honor of our win in Esthar. Luckily for me, I was released from the infirmary the day before it was to be held, so I got to go.

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I was putting the final touches on my outfit when I heard a knock on my door. I knew it was either one of two people and both of their last names were Kinneas. I opened the door and found Kayla standing there. She wore a strapless purple dress with black sandals and had her hair curled around her face like it had been at the SeeD ball.

"Wow, Kai, nice outfit," Kayla commented as she entered.

"Thanks." I was wearing a black mini skirt with a pale blue, low-cut top and black strappy sandals with low heels. My hair was pulled back with a clip and the few tendrils that had escaped were curled around my face.

Kayla sat down on my bed. "I told Tal to come and get me from here and I assume my brother will be here soon to escort you to the party."

"Yes."

It wasn't five minutes before a knock sounded at my door. I opened it and saw that it was both of the guys, come to take us to the gala. When their eyes fell on me, their mouths fell open and they spoke almost in unison.

"Damn Kai!"

"What?"

"That outfit," Tal clarified, "I'm not gonna say what I think about it because I don't want to get a beat down from your boyfriend or my girlfriend but..."

"Thank you Tal," I grinned. "You don't look too bad yourself." He was wearing dark blue jeans with a button up shirt and had his hair slicked back from his face.

"Before you get too excited over my girlfriend, you should take a look at your own," Vaughn commented as he stepped into the room and put his arm around me. He was wearing black dress slacks, a white button up shirt that wasn't buttoned at the collar and a black dress jacket over it. Of course, he had his cowboy hat on and it made the outfit that much more appealing. He bent down and kissed me quickly.

"Ready to go?"

I nodded with a smile. I heard a sound deeper in the room and turned to see that Tal had tackled Kayla onto my bed and was making out with her.

"Oh my Hyne!" I exclaimed, grabbing their attention, "What are you doing? Get off my bed! That's so gross!"

"Sorry," they apologized and got up, both of them smoothing their clothes and hair. I glared at them as they walked passed Vaughn and I and into the hallway. We followed.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Kayla exclaimed and went next door to her room. Tal followed her. "Go on ahead. We'll be there in a second."

"You better not be going in there to make out," I told them with my hands on my hips.

"We're not," Kayla assured, "I promise."

I rolled my eyes and me and Vaughn went alone to the Quad. When we entered, I saw that Selphie had done a great job with the decorations. They were three times better than the ones at the SeeD ball and everyone was there, not just SeeDs but cadets and underclassmen too. We spotted Gavin and Morgan Dincht by the entrance and waved to them as we made our way to a table. We sat down to wait for Kayla and Tal and were immediately served drinks. I sipped my champagne and watched the entrance, waiting for my friends. My watch was interrupted when my parents came and sat down with us.

"Glad to see you made it," my mom greeted as she took the seat next to me.

"Wouldn't miss it," I assured.

My dad sat down next to my mom. He nodded. "Vaughn."

"Sir."

"Better go easy on the champagne, baby girl," my dad instructed, "don't want to impair your judgement." He glanced at Vaughn.

"Daddy!"

"I'm joking," he grinned. After the sorceress had been defeated, Luke and Cale had been forced to drag my dad outside to where the Garden picked us up. Apparently I had hit him harder than I thought because even Cure spells wouldn't bring him around. My mom had been worried but luckily I hadn't been awake to see it or I probably would've felt terrible. I knew my dad was ashamed of the fact that Lantana had been able to trick him and take over his mind but no one mentioned it.

"I would never take advantage of your daughter, sir," Vaughn swore.

"He's just kidding Vaughn," my mom comforted, "we know you wouldn't hurt Kaisa."

"Never," Vaughn agreed.

"Well, we'll leave you two alone," my mom started and stood up, "see you later."

"Bye Mom, bye Daddy."

They left the table and Vaughn visibly relaxed. I grinned.

"He's not gonna hurt you, you know."

"I wouldn't put money on that statement."

"He won't," I promised, "he wouldn't risk it because he knows I'd be totally pissed."

"You are such a Daddy's girl," he teased.

"Yep."

I looked towards the entrance and saw Kayla and Tal enter. Kayla had a video camera held out in front of her and she was taping herself and Tal as they entered.

"Here we are, entering the congratulatory party for defeating the sorceress."

I laughed out loud and met her halfway across the room with Vaughn. When she saw me, she spoke again.

"Ah!" she exclaimed and turned to camera to face me, "here is one of Garden's most talked about new couples, my bestest best friend, Kaisa Almasy and my brother Vaughn."

"What are you doing?" Vaughn questioned, "A news report?"

"Hey, that's a good idea," Kayla commented. "Here, take the camera." She shoved it into Vaughn's hands and came and stood next to me. Once he turned it on us, she held up her hand like she was talking into a microphone. "Hello, I'm Kayla Kinneas." She turned to me expectantly.

"And I'm Kaisa Almasy," I stated, feigning the microphone as well.

"And we're here at the big shindig to celebrate the defeat of the evil sorceress Lantana," Kayla continued, "and we have a special treat for all you viewers out there. An eyewitness account from someone who was actually there. Mr. Leonhart, would you please tell us what you saw?"

Tal stepped in front of the camera and cleared his throat. "Ahem, yeah, well, we encountered the sorceress in her chamber..." Tal began to recount the tale of the sorceress's defeat. Kayla and I were facing towards him and nodded like reporters did when suddenly Tal turned to Vaughn. "Are you even filming me?"

Kayla and I looked over and saw that Vaughn had the camera trained on me.

"Vaughn, what are you doing?" Kayla demanded and stamped her foot. "You are the worst cameraman ever! You're supposed to be focusing on Tal."

"I like this view better," he said with a grin.

"Vaughn," Kayla grumbled and turned the camera so it was facing her as well as me. She reverted back to her anchorwoman stance. "Thank you. That was a recount of the sorceress battle by Tal Leonhart, the hottest guy in Garden."

"It is my professional opinion that that statement was false," I insisted.

"Oh really?" Kayla challenged, "and what would've made that statement true?"

"If you had said that Vaughn Kinneas was the hottest guy in Garden," I stated simply, then winked at Vaughn.

"Oh please," Kayla scoffed. "I think we're going to have to go to the viewers to solve this one." She stopped a young cadet that was passing by at the moment. "Excuse me, Kayla Kinneas, SeeD network news. I have an opinion question for you. Who is the hottest guy in Garden?"

The girl sighed dreamily. "Luke Almasy."

We followed her gaze and saw my brother sitting at a table surrounded by girls. The older ones were feeding him grapes and other fruits and the younger ones were huddled around, hoping to get a turn as he recounted his version of the fight with the sorceress. Kayla and I looked at each other.

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Me too," Kayla agreed.

I turned back and saw that Vaughn had focused on Luke as well. "What's wrong? Want to join him?"

"Only if you're the one feeding me."

"Dream on, Kinneas," I scoffed.

"Well, we've heard from some of the eyewitnesses to the fall of the sorceress, let's see if we can find the rest," Kayla said and we scanned the room. We found Cale sitting at a table with his dad and they were having a hot dog eating contest. Morgan and Kit sat next to Zell and Raine Leonhart and Gavin sat next to Cale, cheering him on. The only Dincht missing was Aunt Cammi, who after a brief period of lucidity, had fallen back into unconsciousness. She had been upgraded to stable and Dr. Kadowaki expected her to make a full recovery, although it was doubtful that she would ever go on a mission again.

We watched the contest until a winner was proclaimed (Uncle Zell), and then turned back to the rest of the room. We talked to mine and Kayla's parents for a few minutes, then Tal's. Uncle Squall seemed embarrassed by the camera but Aunt Rinoa was playing it up and even gave us a mock interview on sorceress powers. By that time, Vaughn was getting bored and had turned the camera back over to Kayla.

"There's Raven and Tristen!" Kayla pointed across the room, "I'm gonna go see if I can get them to say something on camera." She took off, dragging Tal with her and leaving me and Vaughn alone. As soon as they were gone, he grabbed my hand and led me out onto the balcony. The stars were beautiful overhead and the smell of the ocean rode by us on a soft breeze. Vaughn grabbed my hands in his and looked down at me.

"You're the most beautiful woman in Garden, you know that?"

I blushed. "I'm sure there are lots of people who would contradict you."

"Anyone who would contradict me is an idiot," Vaughn stated.

I smiled. "Of all the girls in Garden, how did I get to be the lucky one?"

"There's no luck about it," he assured me and dropping my hands, pulled me into his arms, "this is the way it was meant to be, me and you."

"You really think so?"

He grinned. "I know so." He started to lean down towards me and then stopped. He turned his head back towards the party.

"What?" I asked and tried to look and see what he saw. I was a step back and couldn't see into the room. "What is it"  
He turned back to me. "Kayla."

"She's taping us, isn't she?"

He nodded. "Let's give her something to tape."

And with that, he bent down and kissed me.

The End


End file.
